Victoria Police are on a recruitment drive with the hope to diversify their team.
Leading senior constable Nektarios ‘Nick’ Parissis says Melburnians were often “stunned” to come across him.
“In the 90s, policing was still seen to be a very Anglo-Saxon-centric profession,” he tells Herald Sun.
“I was told, ‘Greeks don’t join the police force’ and I said, ‘why not’. It was not considered a job for us at the time.”
He joined the force at 18-years-old and has worked ever since to develop relationships with Melbourne’s diverse migrant communities.
“Many have come from communities where they see police and run the other way,” he says.
“We are supposed to be representative of the community, so the more diverse our work population is, the more it reflects the community.”
Nick is a colleague of his wife, Jo, who together work regularly with children.
Jo is also a senior constable who works as a youth resource officer for Victoria Police in Preston, while Nick takes regular excursions to the Royal Children’s Hospital.
The couple opened up about Jo’s miscarriage in 2015 to the Herald Sun.
