TOO often a city such as Ballarat gets a bad wrap when a crime is committed and the advent of social media makes it seem like there's a criminal on the loose every minute.
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But when you meet a person like Sergeant Joel Dash, a man who has spent the past 13 years protecting the Ballarat and Buninyong communities, you'll understand that police are out there doing everything they can to keep all of us safe.
The Courier spent a Friday night with Sergeant Dash patrolling the city, looking over known recent hotspots including Soldiers Hill which has seen a influx of car fires and helping out officers who are everyday learning on the job.
In his role tonight as the Operational Supervisor in Ballarat, Sergeant Dash is acting as an experienced hand for junior officers who are out and about. Within minutes of me hopping a ride, we have our first call out to a neighbourhood disturbance in Delacombe where a car window has been smashed.
Police are already at the scene when we arrive and Sergeant Dash is called in to take a look at the situation. It's soon clear police in attendance have the matter under control.
"My role tonight is to be someone there if needed, I'm only a radio transmission or phone call away if there's any issues," he said.
Throughout the night we're there for numerous calls, but as what seems like the first rain of the year falls, it's looking overall fairly peaceful.
"We don't ever use the Q word (quiet)," Sergeant Dash jokes.
"As soon as you do, something always happens."
As we tour the city, through Delacombe, Wendouree to Soldiers Hill and back into the city, Sergeant Dash tells me about his life in the force.
"I knew when I was 15 I wanted to be in the police force," he said.
"I grew up in Ballarat, I love it here, I don't know how I would go working in the city."
He said too often, people talk about Ballarat being unsafe, which was a long way from the truth. But he admits to often being frustrated at how easy it is for thieves.
Ballarat is set to receive an extra 15 police officers.
Sgt Dash said any new officers were welcome at any time.
"We just need to get back to basics as a community, I really do think that," he said.
"We have no trouble dishing out $1000 for a new phone, yet people will not consider a security system at half that cost. We know there's so much good technology out there that's there to protect you.
"Considering as a society now we have more than what our parents and grandparents ever did, everyone has their toys and we have to enjoy life, but we need to also consider how to secure that and keep it, unfortunately there will always be an element that's out there."
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