ESTEVAN — The two newest members of the Estevan Police Service (EPS) bring varied backgrounds but both have a desire to serve the community with the municipal police service.
Constables Hayley Bunjevac and Jonathan Nixon graduated from the Saskatchewan Police College in early June and had their first respective days as part of the EPS patrol units later in the month.
Bunjevac has previous experience with the Canada Border Services Agency and also worked at the Saskatchewan Legislature for the speaker of the house. She decided to join the EPS because she wanted more of a role in the community.
She and her husband moved from Regina a few years ago and fell in love with the Energy City, she said. Bunjevac applied to the EPS, was hired and then went to the police college.
“It’s been a great experience so far, only about three weeks in, but they’ve been nothing but great and I’m happy to be here,” said Bunjevac.
She had positive things to say about the other members of the EPS, particularly EPS Insp. Tyler McMillen, with whom she said she has spent a lot of time.
“He was the one who took me along the recruitment process, and led me to my position now. I’m just enjoying rolling out to the calls and serving the community where I can,” she said.
Bunjevac also enjoyed spending time at the Saskatchewan Police College earlier this year, as the aspiring officers learned about the job. The people who are running it are doing a very good job, she said.
The recruitment process was a lot, she said, and a lot of people are interested. She was happy the EPS supported her and believed in her.
“I hope to give back to the community and put my best foot forward for them,” she said.
The EPS has a lot of opportunities for its members, she said, and Bunjevac is trying to learn about them. Criminal investigations interest her the most, but she is happy to be part of the patrol unit and has no intentions of leaving that part of the EPS.
“I really like digging into things, and if investigating bigger files is what gets people put away who are harming the community, that would be something noble,” she said.
Nixon, meanwhile, has lived in Estevan for about 20 years. He spent 10 years as a member of the Estevan Fire Rescue Service, and has been a reservist for the Canadian Army for about six years, including time as a paratrooper.
“I always wanted to be in the army, so I joined the army,” he said.
He has enjoyed his time with the EPS. Officers have to worry about a lot of things, he said, and he welcomes the constant change.
“It’s not just a regular, over-and-over kind of task, it’s different tasks over time,” he said.
His fellow officers are very knowledgeable and are able to provide instruction.
He also learned a lot at the Saskatchewan Police College, calling it a “fire hose of information” in what seemed like a short amount of time.
“In policing, there’s always stuff to learn, so I don’t think I’ll ever stop learning,” said Nixon.
He knew some of his fellow EPS members from his time with the fire department, thanks to their response to many of the same calls. That familiarity has helped him since he joined the EPS.
“Obviously, a police officer is working in a different capacity than a firefighter, but an emergency scene is still an emergency scene, and it’s that familiarity of what tasks need to be done," he said.
Nixon said the joint tactical support team is something he would be interested in joining, but he won’t push ahead with that immediately and his efforts are focused on being the best patrol officer possible.
