SENIOR Sergeant Mark Marriott says he has big shoes to fill as he steps into the role of officer in charge of the Midland police district, following the recent promotion of his predecessor Inspector Jeremy Marklew.

Snr Sgt Marriott started his policing career at the Midland station in the mid-1990s and said it had always been his dream to run a large metropolitan station, and that he feels a great sense of responsibility.

“I feel a responsibility to my staff to ensure their safety, and a responsibility to the community to address their concerns in relation to crime,” he said.

“Luckily for me I have dedicated staff and dedicated support to be able to assist me in meeting that challenge.”

The Midland police district encompasses an area of 125sqkm and includes the subdistricts of Ellenbrook, Ballajura, Kiara, Forrestfield, Mundaring and Midland.

He said the purpose of the role, which comes with a two-year minimum and four-year maximum term, is to promote and drive the strategic direction of the WA police and to maintain fundamental standards set by the commissioner.

“Our fundamentals address everyday policing and include victim safety, timely and quality investigations, and high visibility policing just to name a few,” he said.

During his 28 years of service, Snr Sgt Marriott has worked in both metropolitan and rural districts across the state, including Cannington, Perth, Mid-west Gascoyne, the Goldfields, and the Pilbarra. For the past 12 months he was the officer in charge of the Forrestfield subdistrict.

Snr Sgt Marriott said the Midland district is unique due to its semi-rural setting, because in addition to the normal challenges faced by metropolitan districts, the district also includes large areas that rely on emergency management planning.

“There are significant responsibilities in relation to emergency management planning, which is key to the OiC role, because we do perform the role of the local emergency management coordinator.

“We’re involved with all our partners, the shires and the cities to make sure we are ready to respond to any emergency as it arises.”

Moving forward he said the district would continue its strategies which focus on retail theft, as seen in ‘Safer Midland’ initiative helps fight against crime (Echo News, September 22) the crime with the highest rate in the district.

“Retail theft will continue to be a target for us, however I am going to be concentrating a little more of our resources into family violence.

“Retail theft is a main concern for the WA police and also the Midland district, as is the increase in family violence.”