Harmony Week: Meet Constable Esther Kim
To celebrate Harmony Week and to embrace our members’ cultural, linguistic, religious and spiritual diversity, this week, we will be looking at members of the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) community within the Service.
Introducing Constable Kim
Constable Kim is a general duties officer based in Beenleigh.
She grew up in Busan, South Korea and moved to Australia at the age of 22.
After backpacking around Australia and learning about the culture, she decided to join the Queensland Police Service (QPS) in 2019.
Working for the QPS
Constable Kim graduated from the Oxley Police Academy on November 7, 2019, and has spent her policing career in the Logan District.
When asked about the most interesting and the most challenging parts of her role, Constable Kim gave the same answer for both – every day and every job is different.
“No day is the same as a Queensland police officer,” Constable Kim said.
“I’ve learnt that you can’t expect anything on the job as every day and job is unique.”
Constable Kim’s most memorable moment as a police officer so far is attending a recent domestic violence incident in the South East Region.
“After the respondent was removed from the address, the victim told me I was an angel sent from heaven,” she said.
“The was a very memorable moment for me that I’ll cherish for sometime.”
Cultural background
After growing up in Korea, Constable Kim moved to Australia in 2013.
While backpacking Australia, she learnt all about the countries culture and way of life, and continues to bring her Korean cultural background the role of a general duties officer.
Constable Kim said she enjoys working in Logan District given its one of the most culturally diverse districts and she is able to engage with community members from all over the world.
“Recently, I was called by officers in the Mount Isa District – nearly 2,000km away – to help local officers with a Korean man who didn’t speak English,” she said.
“By sharing the language and understanding his background, I explained to officers that the mans vehicle had broken down and they transported him back into town and organised a tow truck for the gentleman.”
When asked to share advice for other CALD community members thinking of joining the QPS, she said to give it a go.
“It won’t be easy, but it’s not impossible,” Constable Kim said.
“I kept telling myself I wasn’t good enough, but I persisted, I was committed and now I’m a constable within the QPS.
“It also helps that the QPS is one of the best organisations for CALD community members.”
Harmony Week
When asked what Harmony Week meant to her, Constable Kim said it was all about celebrating the richness of diversities in the community.
“It is a week to celebrate and embrace our differences,” she said.
Recruiting police officers from a range of backgrounds is essential to ensuring the QPS reflects the cultural diversity of the community and provides effective policing services.
To find out more about culturally and linguistically diverse recruiting pathways within the QPS, visit https://www.police.qld.gov.au/culturally-and-linguistically-diverse-recruiting.
