MILLICENT’S “top cop” has put on his uniform for the last time.
Senior Sergeant First Class Peter Brown APM retired on Friday as officer-in-charge of Millicent police.
It brought to an end a decorated police career which started in 1976 in Course 53 at the Fort Largs Police Academy in Adelaide.
Among the accolades to come his way was the Australian Police Medal, which was announced in the 2017 Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
Officer in charge of Millicent police since 2011, Sen Sgt Brown has spent all but a handful of years of his 42-year career in country stations.
General patrol work has taken him to postings at Victor Harbor, Murray Bridge, Naracoorte, Mount Gambier and Peterborough.
Originally from a dairy farm near Victor Harbor, Sen Sgt Brown had given some thought to retirement and it was prompted by his 60th birthday in April.
“It has been a great and satisfying career and it has provided us with a good life,” he said.
“I have enjoyed my time in country communities and you help them through difficult times and tragedies.
“I regard it as a privilege to serve people at those times.”
With one exception, his entire service has been spent in the southern portion of South Australia.
“Peterborough was the hottest place I served and it was also the coldest,” he said.
“One of the most difficult days on duty was the day of the Ash Wednesday bushfires in 1983.
“I was based at the Naracoorte station at the time and the Lucindale officer was on leave.
“I was called out late in the morning to go on my own to the Furner and Legges Lane area.
“This was in the days before mobile phones, all the landlines were down and our police radios did not work.”
Sen Sgt Brown could not make contact with the outside world as he worked until the early hours of the following morning when he returned to Naracoorte.
As part of his work as a police officer, Sen Sgt Brown was required to appear before the Supreme Court in murder trials.
“It does not matter if you are giving evidence in the Magistrates Court or the Supreme Court, you still have a responsibility to carry out your duties professionally,” he said.
“There has always been a close bond between police and the other branches of the emergency services and that has applied wherever I have been – we do difficult jobs together.
“For most of my time in Millicent, I worked closely with Wattle Range Country Fire Service group officer Mike Kemp.
“I have also enjoyed working with the Robe, Kingston and Wattle Range councils over the past seven years.”
Sen Sgt Brown and his wife Gill will live in Mount Gambier, where Ms Brown will continue her work as a nurse, while her husband has some community-minded activities to pursue.
Another retirement interest for Sen Sgt Brown will be racehorses, which has been one of his passions for the past 20 years.
He owns shares in some horses and is a registered stablehand and strapper.
This interest has taken him to racetracks across South Australia and Victoria and even Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day.
“The highlight of my time in racing was having a share in Flying Skipper which won a listed race on Oaks Day at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup Carnival in 2012,” he said.
Colleagues across the region will mark Sen Sgt Brown’s retirement with functions at Millicent, Mount Gambier and Coonawarra.
The vacancy has been advertised and Millicent officer Sgt Rick Errington has temporary oversight of the station.
In this acting role, Sgt Errington will also have responsibility for the management of outstations at Beachport, Robe, Kingston, Penola and Kalangadoo and will divide his time between administrative and operational duties.
Limestone Coast Local Service Area acting officer-in-charge Inspector Amit Sareen said Sen Sgt Brown had given over 40 years of distinguished service.
“Sen Sgt Brown has earned a reputation as a person of highest integrity and a hard worker,” Insp Sareen said.
“He has been a most dedicated police officer with commitment to assist and protect members of the community and his staff.
“He carried out his duties with the utmost of professionalism dedicated to serve the local communities.”
