Bridgetown officer says his farewell

Sergeant Phil Nation has finished his five years as officer-in-charge of Bridgetown Police and has taken up his new post in Busselton. Although keen to start his new beat as sergeant supervisor, Sgt Nation looked back fondly on his time in Bridgetown. “My style has always been community-focused policing anyway and we just enhanced that with the team we had ... we were very fortunate in many respects with walking into a community like Bridgetown that is very community-minded,” he said. “There’s so many volunteer groups and agencies ... you’re talking about our SJAs, our DFES guys and our fireys — the work they do never ceased to amaze me.” Sgt Nation said the work put in by members of the community was often overlooked but made his tenure much more tenable. He described himself as “lucky” for his time in Bridgetown and detailed it as a great experience. Sgt Nation did not waste much time between positions as he finished in Bridgetown on Friday and started his job in Busselton on the following Monday. Speaking to the Manjimup-Bridgetown Times about what he was expecting to walk into at Busselton, Sgt Nation said his extensive career gave him ample experience in whatever scenario he might face. “Mate, I’ve been doing this for 33 years,” he said. “Policing is policing no matter where you go ... it’s just about how much of your own personality you can put into a place.” The former officer-in-charge said the move to the new scene was a return to what he was more familiar with as the police station is open 24-hours, deals with a bigger population and is staffed with a bigger number of police. Sgt Nation will not be the only new face at the Busselton station, with six new officers and another sergeant all brought in to help patrol the area as it grows in size.