How I Became - a police officer w/ Ariana Lander.

Welcome to the ‘How I Became’ series where Billie talks to girls across New Zealand who are killing it in their chosen career and see how they got there!

Trying to decide what you ‘want to be when you grow up’ is hard enough as it is and your careers counsellor probably won’t have all the answers you need.

HIB aims to give you a bit of insight into different career paths and what it takes to get there.

Name: Ariana Lander

Age: 22

Job title: Constable NZ Police

Current job: Constable - front line (Public Safety Team)

Firstly, what drew you to the police?

My dad! While I was growing up, my dad was in Police where I became drawn to the job because of the friendships he made through Police and the relationship he built with the communities he worked in. I’ve also always had a passion for talking and helping people and being that safe person to talk to or feel safe around.

What subjects did you take in high school that you think helped?

English as there is a lot of paperwork! Also, any subjects where it helps to grow your confidence, so I found doing music/speech competitions and performing helped me with that. 

What did your pathway towards starting your career look like?

When I finished school, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to go to university before applying for the Police as I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study but I did know I wanted to do something before I applied.

I went overseas and got some life experience by teaching over in Poland for a few months and travelling! I can say this was the best thing for me. When I came back to NZ, I decided I didn’t want to go to university anymore and I felt as though I was ready to apply so I worked on my fitness and went through the application process. Covid put a huge pause in the process, but I used the time to work on my fitness. 

What did you study/where/how long did it take?

I haven’t studied; however, I am considering taking up some study in criminology/psychology eventually to better understand people and expand my knowledge/skills. 

What’s the best thing about your job?

People! The people we meet and help and the friendships you make in the Police. 

What’s the hardest part?

Time restraints is the challenging part of Police. Because of how busy Policing can be, it can be difficult to stay on top of paperwork and enquiries along with attending jobs throughout the day.

What surprised you most about your job once you started working?

The amount of paperwork needed and the demand from Police. There is no job too big or small that hasn’t been called in before.

What does an average day look like for you?

Family Harm jobs is a daily occurrence. We usually attend 2-4 Family Harm incident’s a day. Other regular jobs that pop up throughout a shift are usually things such as disorders, traffic complaints and Mental Health but there is a lot going on and each day is different! If I’m not at a job, I try get as much paperwork done as possible….and drink lots of coffee.

What advice would you give to those looking to follow a similar career path?

Get fit. There is a physical demand to Policing especially during your application process. If you aren’t already fit, this is something to work on before you even apply as the fitness test can creep up on you at any time once you apply.

I’d also advise anyone who is considering applying to be okay with being outside of your comfort zone. Although you are given training once you have made it through the initial process on how to deal with high pressure situations/scenarios, growing your confidence and resilience before applying is a must as you won’t be so surprised with how demanding the job really is once you are in.

What are the biggest challenges in your opinion to getting into the police force?

For me, it was the fitness. I had never been a runner so learning I needed to do a 2.4km in 12minutes was a shock to the system! It’s also partly a mental challenge as you need to be out of your comfort zone and really push yourself to receive those results.

The other challenge would be patience. You don’t know when you will be called up to go to Police College for a position in your district as the wait can vary between six months - three years. You just must be prepared to wait the long haul if you are wanting to go to your preferred district and there is limited space available there.

What kind of skills does your job require?

• Teamwork – A must!

• People skills

• Communication

• Problem Solving

• Computer skills would be beneficial

What part of your job gives you the most satisfaction?

Being able to go home knowing I have helped at least one person that day. Also keeping offenders accountable for their actions.

What has been an absolute highlight of your career?

Early days yet to pick just one highlight but the best part was getting into Police and the people I’ve met through the process.

What’s an unexpected element to your job that people don’t realise you have to do?

I think the main thing that people don’t tend to realise is how big the workload is and how every job varies. Due to jobs coming in that are on a lower-higher end of the scale, we attend jobs from neighbourly disputes over overgrown trees to higher end jobs such as firearm incidents.

Describe your job in three words

Awesome, challenging and rewarding.