Police officer Rhonda Cockerton had only been on the beat for two years when her daughter Shannon, 20, followed her into the police force.
And the crime-fighting constables for Counties Manukau haven’t looked back, with Rhonda, 49, beaming proudly about her daughter following in her footsteps.
“She’s doing such an amazing job as a learning cop,” explains Rhonda.
“She has a really good head on her shoulders and, like me, a real victim focus. She’s naturally good at dealing with people. I was really excited when she said she was going to give it a go.”
The mum-of-four enrolled at police college when she was 46 in 2015. Fighting crime had always been the dream, but she waited until after her children had grown up.
It’s something Shannon admires. “She still puts us first even now, as well as working,” she explains. “She’s Superwoman really. She does everything.”
The pair spend every waking hour discussing their jobs, much to the annoyance of Rhonda’s youngest son Riley, 10.
Rhonda laughs, “We’ve always been close, but having this in common makes us even closer. It’s something else for us to talk about, but Riley is like, ‘Can you two just not talk about work?'”
And for Shannon, having a mentor in her mum is a blessing. “I am really lucky with Mum and it’s really special having her in the same job,” says Shannon.
“She’s such an inspiration. She went from mum to police officer so seamlessly. I had so much pride watching her chase her dream.”
