DETECTIVE Sergeant Stephen Mitchell wasn’t sure about his future in the late 70’s.
The Dandenong High School graduate spent time floating between casual labouring jobs and tertiary courses before a high school buddy convinced him to apply for the police force.
Having no family connection to the police force, he wasn’t sure he would like it but 36 years later, he has worked his way through some of Victoria’s most significant criminal cases.
Det-Sgt Mitchell is currently head of Swan Hill’s Criminal Investigation Unit (CIU) and Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team (SOCIT).
As a new graduate, his first posting was at Collingwood, which he remembers fondly.
“Being a Collingwood supporter, it meant that I got to spend every Saturday at the footy for the first three months of my policing career,” he said.
Det-Sgt Mitchell then spent time in Russell Street transferring some of the state’s worst criminals in prison vans and it was there he learnt the importance of understanding the criminal mind and to never let his guard down.
For more on this story, grab a copy of Wednesday’s (May 4) Guardian
