General News
12 July, 2026
Fresh faces join police ranks
A DIVERSE group of five newly-minted first year constables has hit the beat across the Cassowary Coast, bringing with them international policing experience and strong community ties.
The officers posted to Tully, Innisfail and Babinda are now stepping into frontline duties after months of intensive training with the Queensland Police Service Academy.
Constables Ewan Love, Jack Minogue, Ryan Lewis, Grace Parkinson and Bobbie Lee Philp have graduated from the Brisbane academy and will spend the next year putting their skills into practice while learning the realities of day-to-day policing.
Their eight-month training program covered driver training, firearms, domestic violence response, mental health, legislation, arrests, traffic crashes, drink driving, tasers and scenario-based assessments. Each also completed two weeks of station duty to gain their first taste of operational policing.
For eight weeks, experienced field training officers from Babinda, Tully and Innisfail, including constables Andrew Marr, Cody Lane, Tristan Watcham, Sean Martin and Cameron Kennedy mentored the recruits through day and night shifts, rotations and specialist units.
Over their first year, the new officers will gain experience in child protection, criminal investigations, domestic violence, town patrols, traffic enforcement, drug investigations, the watchhouse and community policing.
Constable Ewan Love, 34, brings the most international experience to the region. Originally from England, he served 11 years with UK police in Essex and Somerset and completed the four-month Police Abridged Competency Education (PACE) program in Brisbane. He also spent five years in the British Army working in intelligence. Constable Love, who completed eight weeks in Babinda before moving to Innisfail, said lifestyle and weather inspired his move to Australia.
Townsville local Constable Jack Minogue, 20, previously worked as a theatre nurse at Townsville Mater Hospital. He hopes to eventually work in tactical crime. Babinda’s own Constable Ryan Lewis, 19, comes from a hospitality background and was inspired by his uncle, a police traffic officer in England.
Constable Bobbie Lee Philp, 26, grew up in Innisfail before spending two years in Cairns. With experience in hospital administration and disability support, she also represented Australia at a western-style horse competition in China at age 15 and gained experience in England with Olympic eventer Kevin McNab. She hopes to work in crime investigation or child protection.
Constable Grace Parkinson, 21, from Brisbane, previously worked in security and is now posted at the Tully station. Her ambition is to work with POLAIR helicopters.
The officers encourage anyone considering a policing career to “give it a shot,” saying the job is challenging, diverse and rewarding. They emphasised the value of life experience and believe empathy, patience, resilience, time management, authenticity and strong communication skills are essential qualities for effective policing.
Outside of work, they are eager to explore the region’s natural attractions, as well as hiking, gym, golf, AFL, basketball and horse riding.
Read More: Cassowary Coast