KYLIE Endemi has made history becoming the first-ever female commander of the Oxley Police District.
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The Leader can reveal Superintendent Endemi's new top cop role after she officially took the reins.
Tamworth has been home for Superintendent Endemi since January 2010, when she moved her family to the city to become the first female inspector in the Oxley ranks. Since then, she hasn't looked back.
"I'm excited about the opportunity; I'm committed to this area, this is where my kids have grown up and this is home for our family," she said.
She'll mark 26 years in the force this year, and while she's been filling in in the commander's chair since early last year; it's now been made official, taking over from former Superintendent Fred Trench.
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And, Superintendent Endemi's wasting no time making her mark on the position.
"Domestic and family violence is important for us all to focus on and we do everything in our power to try and reduce the prevalence of that in our job, and we want to do more," she said.
"Community engagement is also a priority for me because I recognise the importance of having a good working relationship in the good and the bad times; it's extremely valuable for the community and police to work together to make our towns safer, to not only respond, but to stamp out and prevent the issues before they occur.
"We're not just police, we all live here as well, our families are here too. We take a personal passion to drive down crime, to make it safer for the whole community."
But she doesn't shy away from the job at hand. Drug crime is also a big target.
"The prevalence of drug crime and drug use is intertwined with most crime categories and this has been a continued, and comprehensive resolve of this command to eradicate it," she said.
"And that won't change. We will continue to remove those individuals who choose to infiltrate our community with drugs."
It's no easy feat, either. Superintendent Endemi will lead an almost 200-strong force of officers across 22 sectors. The vast command stretches from south of Willow Tree; to Gwabegar in the west; out to Walcha in the east; and north to Bendemeer.
She's a leader in her own right in other respects, as the only female commander in the Western Region, as well as the other Northern and Southern policing regions too.
"I take great interest in developing all my staff to achieve their goals, but certainly I am committed to encouraging our female police to reach their full potential," she said.
"I would like to consider myself a role model as a working mother with children, who has worked a career at the same time; it has been challenging but we do have a supportive and inclusive organisation so I want to show other aspiring women that you can do both."
Superintendent Endemi knows the frontline well. Her entire policing career - all in general duties, human resources and education postings - has been in the uniformed, general duties realm.
And she won't shy away from the street beat. Operation Rapidus - one of Oxley's proactive policing blitzes - regularly sees her on patrol.
"I have an attitude of leading from the front and operations like those allow all levels of police from the top down to get out in the sectors, and the communities, to drive down crime," she said.
"I am committed to crime prevention and preventative strategies to help stop the cycle of crime; so I want to work with the government organisations and community groups to engage with our youth, and ensure we do have those support programs, like RiseUp, to have that positive influence."