This week People of Benalla returns in a more literal sense than usual - in that this time we are featuring more than one person.
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Local community Police Officers Mark Kennedy and Paula Allen are well-known faces around town, and further afield.
And that is very much by design with both working in the Proactive Policing Unit for the Benalla area.
Mark is a crime prevention officer and Paula a youth resource officer and the two work in a partnership that is very much based on community engagement.
A quick flick through Ensign photographs of local events will always show Mark and or Paula in the background.
Whether it's Wall to Wall, Window to Window, the Benalla festival, Benalla Show, Anzac Day, Harmony Day celebrating multiculturalism, or the Freedom of the City ceremony for HMAS Benalla, to name a few - they are always visible, and always having a chat to, or smiling with, local people.
On top of that they are both integral members of the local school breakfast clubs and are often seen at kinders and schools instilling a positive image of Victoria Police to the next generation.
For their hard-work the two have received various honours and awards throughout the years, with Paula even taking out the prestigious Blue Ribbon Police Officer of the year award at a recent ceremony in Shepparton.
"Our roles are quite interactive in a lot of ways," Paula.
"We do more proactive and preventative policing, whereas our front-line officers do reactive policing."
So where most officers will respond to incidents - a good example being Monday's well-documented police pursuit - Mark and Paula approach their roles in a different way.
"We work with our community partners in proactive programs to prevent any incidents occurring in the first place," Paula.
Mark said being out and about in the community and getting to know the public was one way they approached that role.
"We definitely need that face-to-face interaction with the public, and they like to know police member's names, so they can say hello," Mark said.
"It helps the public to have that connection with us, and allows people to have an informal chat regarding any issues they might have, rather than having to attend the police station.
"They often ring us directly if they have a small issue which they might want to bring up."
It's an informal system that Paula said had been beneficial.
"Even if it not a huge thing, people feel a lot better when someone is there to listen to them," she said.
"The community don’t just want to see the police car driving by. They like us to stop and have a chat.
"It’s old-style policing, which coincides well with Victoria Police's community blueprint.
"And community engagement in a small town like Benalla is very important.
"Particularly where we have so many community partners and agencies all working together to achieve a happy, safe environment.
"And we're not only in Benalla, we go as far as Mansfield and Buller all the way to Yea, Euroa and Violet Town.
"We’re lucky that we're pretty energetic and we love what we do."
While the list of benefits to strong community policing is almost endless, one of the most important parts of the job is engaging with the town's youngsters.
Lessons we learn in our formative years often follow us throughout life and Mark said creating a positive relationship between police and young people in Benalla had many long-term benefits.
"It's all about early intervention," Mark said.
"To have that positive contact and engagement at a young age is vital, for a couple of reasons."
One example being that a child might have had negative contact with police.
Even something as simple as being in the back seat when their parents have had to undergo a roadside breath test, and are maybe complaining about their day being held up.
Those children might then think the police are there to cause problems.
"So getting out in the schools and forming a friendly relationship with students can teach them that police are there to help them," Mark said.
"And it gives them a trusted point of contact."
Paula and Mark started their policing careers, like most, in front-line dutues before transitioning into a community role.
And it's a career-path they recommend to Benalla's youngsters.
"We get involved with careers day, which is really important," Mark said.
"The advice we give is for kids to take up volunteering, and to not only finish school, but to study for as long as they can.
"To get into community policing, or any police role, having volunteered is a big tick on the application. And youngsters who have had a part-time job are also at an advantage.
"We never under-value the skills that young people pick up in retail and hospitality or any part-time job they undertake."
• If you, or any young people you might know, are interested in finding out more about a career in policing the Victoria Police website is a valuable resource with lots of relevant information and advice. Visit www.police.vic.gov.au/police/recruuitment to find out more.