Meet Constable Melanie de Boer
Constable Melanie de Boer is in her tenth year with VicPD. With a degree in Chemistry and a minor in Math, her path of drafting blueprints and becoming an engineer took a detour when she wanted to give back to her community and began volunteering as a Reserve Constable in Saanich.
Two years and several ride-alongs later, Melanie understood the huge impact police have within the community. She ditched her dreams of engineering and realized that being a police officer was her true calling.
Melanie is currently in the Community Services Division as a Community Resource Officer. She enjoys policing because of the daily impact she can have on someone’s life, no matter how small. She says forming a connection within the community and making them feel heard or reassuring them that we are here to support and resolve their troubles just feels good.
Melanie loves the camaraderie at VicPD and values the collaborative and supportive environment with her coworkers and leaders. She feels it’s important to have a diverse range of people in this field, including women.
”I think it’s really important for women to be a big part of VicPD because everyone brings their own unique perspective to the department. Personally, I think I have a lot of empathy and compassion to the people that I work with whether that’s in Patrol responding to 911 calls, or in the Community Services Division.”
"I found the 12-hour ride-alongs would glide by way faster than hours sitting at a desk. I really love that time flew by, you know you really enjoy your work when 12-hours vanish in a blink of an eye"
Melanie is currently job-sharing a job with another officer, which allows her to spend this part of her career working less and spending more time with her family. As a mom to a young daughter, she feels she is enjoying the best of both worlds.
”It’s been fantastic! I’ve had so much time with my daughter, and I love being here when I’m here, and I love being at home when I’m there. It’s been really good for my work-life balance.”
Her career so far has included a variety of roles, including patrolling the streets, guiding new recruits during field training, stepping in as a Sergeant in the jail, acting as a firearms instructor, and working in the public safety unit where she managed crowd control during events like parades and protests.
Melanie is also actively involved with the Police Mutual Benevolent Association, which organizes social gatherings for officers and their families.
