Campaspe’s newest inspector, Dave Bowler, is ready to start making a difference, with improving communication between police and community high on his priority list.
With a steady rise through the ranks, he is approaching his 25th year of policing.
When offered the inspector’s position at Campaspe, it felt like the perfect fit.
A familiar face in the community, Insp Bowler has lived in the region on and off for more than 20 years.
His wife had worked in the community for more than 15 years, his kids attended school in the area and he’d already established connections within the community.
“I felt that I could make a difference in Campaspe,” Insp Bowler said.
“Campaspe was my first choice. There were about 25 inspector roles that I applied for and I was fortunate enough to be given this opportunity.”
He officially began the role in January but didn’t physically carry out any duties until February, due to leave commitments.
Although this is his first inspector role, it is not the first time he has sat in the Campaspe inspector’s chair — he took on an acting inspector role at the station between October 2021 and June 2022.
He has worked across several different policing commands, with the majority of his career spent in detective roles.
“I’ve been lucky enough to have a very rewarding career, but there’s still a lot to learn and experience. You never stop learning,” he said.
“We have different demographics in each community, different crime trends, themes and different needs. Some communities are more disadvantaged than others, not always from a community point of view, but from a policing point of view.”
Insp Bowler will certainly have a large portfolio to take care of, with eight police stations and 76 staff members under his command.
Not to mention the cross border policing operations that Moama and Echuca police work on together.
Within his purview, Echuca Police Station is the biggest station and also the only one classed as a 24-hour police station, then there is Kyabram, Rochester and Rushworth (multi-officer stations), followed by the single-member stations: Tongala, Stanhope, Gunbower and Elmore.
His main priorities for the local policing area involve improving communication and engagement with the community, minimising antisocial behaviour in youths and other demographics, reducing road trauma and serious collision injuries and curtailing driving offences, burglaries, thefts, assaults and property damage.
Insp Bowler said he wanted to show residents the positive contributions police were making, by ramping up social media engagement and interaction with residents.
“I’m going to be making sure that we’re more active on our social media and that we do have more interaction with the community because I think it’s important,” he said.
“For me, it’s about concentrating on the good things that we do.”
Campaspe police have often borne the brunt of negative comments on social media.
Insp Bowler said police did not always have the capability to reply to a Facebook comment but were usually available to take calls about community issues or queries.
“Unfortunately with social media, the most prominent voice tends to be the unhappy ones, which means there’s a lot of criticism levelled,” Insp Bowler said.
“The main message that I want to get out to the community is that we are here and we are out and about, and just because you may not see us at all times does not mean we’re not being active.”
He does not only have plans to improve interaction through social media but also by getting police more actively involved in the community.
During his last stint with Campaspe police, Insp Bowler, along with other officers, began to set up a neighbourhood policing framework with local safety committees and late-night liquor licence venues to drive down antisocial behaviour in youths and other demographics.
As part of that framework, police are working closely with businesses to try to improve lighting in Echuca’s CBD and to develop proposals for more CCTV.
Police are also engaging with youths and youth organisations to collectively come up with proactive programs that deter antisocial behaviour and improve youth outcomes.
“We have our dedicated youth officers here, we’re working closely with council and with our partner agencies to come up with a whole-of-community response,” Insp Bowler said.
“Local police and Victoria Police can’t solve the issue alone but we can certainly provide support.”
Another item high on the agenda revolves around ensuring his officers have a healthy work-life balance.
Insp Bowler’s last permanent role — prior to filling in as an acting inspector at several different stations — was as the detective senior sergeant in charge of the sex, child abuse and family violences units in Shepparton.
His experience of witnessing traumatic events while out on the job has motivated him to ensure staff are being supported with their mental health.
He said Victoria Police had come a long way in terms of dealing with vicarious trauma.
“Unfortunately, Victoria Police in years gone by was an organisation where staff were maybe too proud to say they weren’t doing okay and put their hand up, whereas now, thank goodness, we’re seeing that tide turn,” Insp Bowler said.
“A lot of people tend to think we’re bulletproof and that things don’t affect us because it’s a part of our job.
“I’ve certainly had some very good advice and spoken to people about my own health. It’s very important as a leader because if I’m not managing my own health, how can I expect to promote it in my team?
“A wise person once said to me that managing your mental health and wellbeing is a bit like servicing a vehicle. You can have a brand new car and drive it and it’ll be okay but if you fail to service it, eventually it will break down. You don’t service it because it’s necessarily broken, you just service it to keep it that longevity.”
As to what the future of policing in Campaspe looked like under his command, the inspector said he would love to see the community having more confidence and trust in police to report crimes through the right channels.
“I still hear people in the community saying their shed got broken into and a box of tools were stolen, but when you ask them if they’ve reported to the police, they say no.
“That information could be the final piece of the puzzle for us.
“Report for your community because even if you don’t care about the item that was stolen, there could be other places being targeted by the same people for weeks.
“It’s our job to find out what’s going on, but it’s also the community’s job to engage with us and report issues.”
Insp Bowler encouraged anyone with safety concerns to contact him at the Echuca Police Station on 5483 1500.
“I’m interested to hear from the community about what keeps them up at night. What is driving that perception of not feeling safe? And is that fear supported by reality?”