The idea to do a posting at a "special remote location" came to fruition for Senior Constable Nikolas Floro who recently took up a posting at Tottenham.

The town had been without a permanent police officer for around twelve months.

Senior Constable Floro said that prior to joining the NSW Police Force, he read the book, "Outback Cop" by Evan McHugh which inspired his wish to continue his career at a single unit posting.

"I was encouraged by colleagues who had already transferred to single unit postings in the Western Region to give it a go," he said. "When I saw Tottenham advertised in the internal vacancies, I had never heard of it before.

"I looked it up on the map and saw its location being the centre of NSW which worked well for my family’s lifestyle and there was also a job opportunity open with NSW Ambulance for my partner. We quickly jumped at the opportunity and travelled out to the town to have a look."

Senior Constable Floro said both he and his partner immediately recognised Tottenham as a very house-proud town with a strong, tight-knit community spirit.

"The Tottenham Community were very welcoming from day one and were renowned for being strong supporters of their local Police and other essential services. I saw the opportunity to work alone at times and be responsible for my own decisions as a new challenge and one I wanted to fulfill so I applied.

After attesting from the NSWPF Academy Goulburn in April 2018, Senior Constable Floro was originally posted to the Redfern Local Area Command (LAC) before it merged with Botany Bay LAC in 2019 to become the South Sydney Police Area Command. He remained there until June 2023 before transferring to Tottenham.

"My main career background is General Duties Policing with time in the Proactive Crime Team," he said. "I have a real drive for General Duties work as every day is different and every day is unpredictable. General Duties Police are the first to all jobs whether they’re minor or major crimes.

"I also enjoyed the opportunity in GD’s to be a Field Training and Assessment Officer (FTAO) where I had the role of training new Probationary Constables. I did this as I really respected what I was taught by my FTAO’s and wanted to pass on to others what they had taught me."

 Senior Constable Floro said the Tottenham community have been fantastic since he and his partner have moved to town.

"When my partner and I first arrived, some community members mailed us letters welcoming us to the town or slipped them under the door," he said. "Each day I was finding homemade treats at the front door. It’s a tradition in the town that a few of the local ladies look after the rose bushes in the front yard of the station so they’re always well kept.

"We were quickly asked to join in on the local community sports teams as well. The area of Tottenham is a beautiful landscape and has its own geographical challenges. Seeing the stars shining bright on a night shift is something I’ve never experienced before. Tottenham isn’t that far from major regional towns such as Dubbo and Parkes, so I haven’t felt for one second that I’m in the middle of nowhere."

The NSWPF currently have incentives for officers relocating to work in some of the State’s more remote communities. These include cash payments of up to $36,000, career development opportunities and housing.

The new incentives scheme applies to officers currently based within or who transfer to communities classified as remote, special remote and remote offshore locations including Broken Hill, Hay, Moree, Wee Waa, Walgett, Wentworth and Coonamble.

Senior Constable Fluro has formed a genuine love for the Tottenham area and its people, with high hopes for the Boomers, his adopted rugby league team.

"I love being in the outdoors and exploring different parts of rural Australia. Generally fishing and camping are my main interests. It’s a bit of a tradition for the local Police out here to get involved in the local football team to which I’ve already had my debut for the Trundle Boomers Rugby League Team. I’ve really enjoyed playing rugby league and hope I can continue next year as the teams had a really good season, hopefully they take out the grand final."