Senior Constable Andrew Perrett was Nebo Division's officer in charge for the past three and a half years but he made a significant difference in the community during that time.
Hailing from New Zealand before moving to Australia in 2008 and joining the police force three years later, Senior Constable Perrett moved back to the Gold Coast in August but not before helping to improve safety at the local school and trialling reflective ear tags on livestock to reduce road trauma.
"What's great about isolated locations is your ability to engage with the community and to understand what the unique issues are," he said.
"You work out what that community needs and what we, as police, can do to help make it happen and make our community safe."
After discovering the local Nebo state school didn't have a school safety zone for its 90 students aged kindergarten to year five, he set to work.
After engaging local council, a fully funded safety zone complete with zebra crossings was designed and implemented ensuring the local children a safe journey during their commute to school.
"Given our location is on the Peak Downs Highway, we have a large number of commuters every day," he said.
"This has the potential for some serious traffic crashes including fatalities that, as a police officer, stay with you for a lifetime.
"I drive these roads every day and come across locations where there have been crashes and have a moment of reflection, respect and sometimes anger at the decisions that led to those events."
He also realised that cattle along roadsides would be more visible if they had reflective ear tags and potentially prevent crashes.
Since late 2021 he has been working with local stakeholders as well as Allflex Livestock Intelligence to trial reflective ear tags with the aim of reducing road trauma in the Nebo Division.
The trial is still in its implementation phase, but will see 5000 animals near the highway fitted with the reflective tags.
He also worked closely with organisers of The Bushman's Carnival to ensure road safety during the annual rodeo event.
Two key events in his younger years cemented his decision to join the Queensland Police Service.
"The first one happened when I was very young," he said.
"I was riding my bike and I witnessed a fatal crash between a motorcycle and an ice cream truck.
"I was so close to the crash and could so easily have been involved. I realised at this early age that life is fragile and that it can be taken in an instant if we are not careful on the roads.
"I later found out that speed was a factor in this crash and I wanted to stop that from happening to other people.
"In the second event, a young man from my year in high school was struck down by a vehicle while walking to school.
"The driver was fatigued and intoxicated and fell asleep at the wheel. My school mate was killed instantly and I remember the profound affect it had on the entire school community."
Senior Constable Perrett's career as a police officer began with his first posting in Mount Isa.
After three years, Senior Constable Perrett and his family opted to swap the outback for the Gold Coast where he transitioned from general duties, to the fast-paced proactive unit known as the Gold Coast Rapid Action and Patrol Group (RAP).
In February 2019 he successfully applied for the officer in charge position at Nebo.
But this August Senior Constable Perrett and his family moved back to the Gold Coast to be closer to relatives.
He said he looks forward to whatever new opportunities the future holds and urges police officers to jump at the chance to experience remote policing, as the rewards are endless.
"You are able to engage personally with people and understand their needs, because at the end of the day you are part of that community yourself.
"You walk down the street and everyone will give you a wave or a greeting.
"How you engage with your community influences what you gain from remote policing.
"You build resilience, you build relationships and you build your own experience to mould your own progression through a rewarding career in policing," he said.
