Familiar face leading Police Command
The new Commander of Central North Police District, Superintendent Tim Chinn, is a familiar face in town to many.
The lure of the outback has brought Superintendent Chinn back to Bourke for a third tour of duty – and he has no plans to go anywhere else.
“As soon as I get to that final stretch of road coming into Bourke, see the sunset, feel the space, I feel I’m coming home,” he said.
“Even though I grew up in western Sydney, I am a country boy at heart and have had several postings to the bush, including Menindee, where I was one of three officers at that command, and at Bourke early on in my career.
“I enjoy the camaraderie of smaller towns, and Bourke has a very strong community spirit.”
Superintendent Chinn has spent his entire career as a police officer following in the footsteps of his grandfather, a police officer at Broken Hill.
His mother grew up in the outback and he credits her background with his enduring love of the bush.
“I went straight into the police force when I graduated from high school,” Superintendent Chinn said.
“My first posting was to Penrith and then a number of times out west at Menindee and then Bourke, first as a sergeant, then as Inspector and now as Superintendent.
“In my last stint here I did four and a half years working with Luke Rankin and Greg Moore, from 2010 to 2015.
“I’ve come back now six years later, and everyone says ‘hey, I know that face!’ – it’s really good to be back.
“I’ve also worked in the city, on general duties at Bankstown and also in Police Transport Command at Central Station, looking after policing on the public transport network and then at Newcastle City just prior to coming here a few weeks ago,” he said.
From a policing perspective, Superintendent Chinn sees domestic violence and youth crime as the biggest challenges facing the Bourke community.
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