AFP profile - Amanda, Protective Service Officer
Protecting the Prime Minister, diplomats and heads of state and guarding Canberra Airport are just a few of the tasks 23-year-old Amanda has carried out in her first 12 months as a Protective Services Officer with the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
"Sometimes it just doesn't seem real because you get so many opportunities," Amanda said.
"I'm always doing something different, always learning and always growing. The AFP is such a great organisation to work for, with such a diverse range of people, who are all so supportive."
Amanda joined Protective Services after finishing a degree in Criminology at the University of Queensland in Brisbane.
"Within the first two weeks I was helping to look after the Cambodian Prime Minister. There is so much variety, like being on duty at Parliament House, being part of the Diplomatic Protection Unit and working at the airport."
There have also been plenty of opportunities to undertake courses to improve her career prospects.
"I've done the Bike Patrol course and the Pop Top (pre deployment) course, which prepares you for going on overseas deployment to places like the Solomon Islands or Nauru. We participated in a lot of teamwork and camping, plus I got to experience what it might be like during a raid or mortar attack. It was awesome."
After an "amazing" year Amanda has moved across to the Federal Agent Program and is undergoing six months of intensive training at the AFP College in Canberra.
"It seemed like a natural progression for me because I am extremely passionate about making a difference and specialising in the area of counter terrorism (CT), doing more proactive investigations and surveillance. I really do enjoy working hard and taking pride in contributing effectively to a great organisation that prevents attacks and saves innocent lives.
"I have such a passion for trying to make a positive difference and creating a better world—helping the good win and trying to alter and counteract the bad.
"There are so many courses that you can do in the AFP to constantly improve on your abilities. I want to do everything available to me as an AFP member, to advance my skills and to become the best CT operator and teacher that I possibly can in the future—things like surveillance, intelligence gathering and analysing, language and cultural studies, profiling."
As well as her parents and teachers, Amanda has met some great role models in the AFP, including several team leaders and trainers who have led by example. She believes being part of the AFP "family" will help her career ambitions.
"I've met so many great people. It can be such a supportive team environment where everyone really enjoys working together, they depend on each other and people honestly go out of their way just to teach you, to help you learn and to reach your goals.
"I really enjoy being part of a close, strong team but I'd also like to establish and lead my own team one day—comprised of hard-working, honest and skilled people, doing the best job that we possibly can and enjoying it."
July 2007