Mia chats with Constable Simon Russell
Mia recently had the privilege to interview Constable Simon Russell from the NZ Police. They met in a local cafe and went back in time to when he was involved with SADD at school.
Hi Simon, it is nice to meet you and thank you for taking your time to talk with me today. Tell me a little bit about yourself and how you got involved with the police?
As a teenager I never really had a dream to be a police officer. This all changed throughout my teenage years, when I realised how risky our teenage behaviours are. I started to see the bigger picture and thought about ways to keep our community safe.
Great, this is interesting. You spotted us at the Harbour Police Base two weeks ago, when we had our SADD National Leadership Event. That instantly sparked up some old memories. What can you remember from SADD at your school?
Firstly, I need to say that I was a risk taker as a teenager. I hung out with my mates and we all could not wait to get a car. As soon as we had our licence we spent most of our time in the cars. We did go out partying and drinking and drove home afterwards. This is shocking, but I was not aware of how much it affects us. As a teenager we all have this mindset of being invincible. We also think we are cool when taking risks. There is also a lot of peer pressure. You do it, because everyone is doing it.
Peer pressure is still one of the common reasons why young people don’t show best practice in road safety. What changed your mind?
Joining SADD was like a wake up call for me. When you hear about an accident you always think it never affects you. Then we had people coming into school who were in wheelchairs and they spoke about their experiences. One major experience I had was when a close friend of mine lost her friend in a car crash. This was pretty scary and changed my mind completely. I started to be the Sober Driver for my mates. Sometimes we even walked for an hour to a party so we didn't drink and drive.
Wow this is impressive and very inspiring. How and when did you get involved with SADD?
It was roughly 1997 when I took up the SADD programme at our school. I got involved through school, because the SADD programme was there to assist you when getting your licence. The programme ran over a few weeks a couple of evenings per week after school.
That sounds different to the SADD program we run now. How exactly did it work and how did it change your mind?
As I said earlier, we had people coming in and speaking to us about their experiences. They showed us a car crash scene as well. It changed my mindset in the legal and criminal point of view. I did not want to get in trouble with the cops, I could not afford any fines! When I decided to be the Sober Driver amongst my mates they were fine with it. I set an example and some of my friends changed their minds too.
This is a great story to share with our youth today. It takes courage to go against the crowd and follow what is best for you. Did you have the 6 principles back then?
SADD back then was Students Against Drink Driving. I am sure there were principles but they were not displayed as such. I like the overview of the 6 principles like you have them today. It is great for the students to see that there is more to it.
We are cooperating with the New Zealand Police on different levels. I went to a checkpoint last year with students from Albany Senior High School. Did you have such opportunities?
Unfortunately, we were not involved with the police like that. We had police officers coming in talking to us from time to time. I think the students get a great experience by attending checkpoints or other events. This will give them a greater understanding of the impact they can have.
That is well said. Is there anything else you would like to say?
Lucky I changed my mindset, otherwise I would have not been able to get into the police. I am happy that I didn’t follow the footsteps of my friends and set an example to change direction. Don’t think that you're invincible, at some time in your life you will be directly or indirectly involved in a car crash. It affects everyone, you will feel the pain or see the pain one way or another. Don’t be afraid to engage and educate. Every little bit makes a difference. Safer journeys for everyone!
Thanks so much Simon for your insight! We love hearing different perspectives and experiences and it is really cool to hear how the SADD programme has influenced lives over the years.