Geraldton’s new senior sergeant on policing priorities and scoring 53 points in first basketball game

A new leader in the local police force — who will oversee multiple core units in a bid to boost crime reduction in Geraldton — is also proving to be an asset to the sporting community after amassing 53 points in his first local basketball game. After working in regional WA for 17 years, Geraldton’s latest senior sergeant, Russell Hurst, will manage a range of units and train the next generation of officers. Sen. Sgt Hurst’s role heading up the district engagement support unit is to ensure others under him and key players in community services are “doing what they should be doing”: helping with general police duties, providing support assistance and dealing with emergency management. He said the way programs for at-risk youth were delivered and how outlets considered their responsible service of alcohol in the community were two areas he wanted to improve. “We have so many fantastic youth service providers that are so siloed and working independently of one another that I think there are groups of people that are missing out on that service,” he said. “I’d love to see that change so that we’re all on the same page and we’re capturing the kids that need to be involved in those programs.” Sen. Sgt Hurst said alcohol was a contributing factor to antisocial behaviour, domestic violence and mental health related issues. “There’s times when responsible service of alcohol really needs to be considered and looked upon more firmly. I think that education, strong engagement and those early interactions and conversations can influence it,” he said. Sen. Sgt Hurst has already made a mark in a different kind of uniform. He scored 53 points for Chapman Valley in their game against Stateside last Tuesday — his first game for the Warriors as a substitute player. He said he happened to be on the receiving end of about 200 of Mathew Wundenberg’s rebounds. “It was one of those nights where everything was in the right place at the right time. I made some shots that I probably normally wouldn’t make and was certainly getting the support from the guys on my team,” Sen. Sgt Hurst said. The 2m-tall Sen. Sgt Hurst will play for Chapman Valley with his former coach and good mate Lou Causer. “I actually played against the team while they were playing for the Buccs and I was playing for the Giants, so to come and play on the same team as those guys I was super, super excited,” he said. “I love playing basketball, love hanging out and catching up with Lou, so to be on the same team with him was a no-brainer for me.” Sen. Sgt Hurst began his career in the force in 2006 in Kalgoorlie-Boulder and was later promoted to sergeant in 2017. He was responsible for operations and reducing alcohol consumption, antisocial behaviour and harm reduction in the community. He said knowing no two days were the same was a highlight of working in the force. “I love the unpredictability about it. I love that you see so much of the State, you work with like-minded people and ultimately you actually get to make an impact on people’s lives and really help people, the ones that need it, because they’re a victim of crime. And ones at the time who probably don’t want our help, but in the long run get a lot of benefit out of it,” Sen. Sgt Hurst said. Sen. Sgt Hurst said he had been to the beach 17 days out of 30 since being in Geraldton, mostly with his wife and three children aged three, eight and 10, signed up to play Masters AFL and was also an average but keen golfer. “If the community has any ideas, any issues, anything they want to reach out to me for, call me at the police station and I’m happy to chat with them if they if they need it,” he said.