HLM – Chapter 28 I’m Officer Wang from Next Door

According to standard procedure, Wang Bo was supposed to attend the Royal Police Academy for training before officially joining the police force. However, since his town had already been established and he was the only sheriff there, the training could be postponed.

In addition, joining the police required an oath of office. In his office, Wang Bo stood before the flags of the British Royal Family and New Zealand and solemnly swore: “I, Wang Bo, Sheriff of Sunset Town, hereby solemnly and sincerely declare and affirm that I have become a police officer. As an officer, I will serve Her Majesty the Queen to the best of my ability, with impartiality and without malice, until the end of my tenure…

I will strive to uphold and protect the peace of Her Majesty. I will use all my powers to prevent any act that threatens peace. So long as I am an officer, I will do everything I can to uphold my duties and enforce the law. May God bless me!”

After the oath, the chief led a group of officers into the office, applauding. Chief Smith then handed a gleaming gold badge to Wang Bo and solemnly said, “Officer Wang, welcome to the New Zealand Royal Police. On behalf of the fifteen officers of the Omarama Police Department, I welcome you aboard!”

The chief saluted with a swing of his arm, and Wang Bo hurriedly returned the salute—albeit with the Chinese military salute.

This sort of gesture might be a serious faux pas in China’s police system, but in New Zealand no one cared—except for two young officers who chuckled.

Chief Smith waved his hand, and a female officer handed Wang Bo a sky-blue police uniform and his equipment, along with two forms to fill out. One was simple—just a receipt confirming he had received the uniform. The other was more complex: it was the firearms requisition form.

Wang Bo quietly asked the female officer—Judy Blind, the station’s administrative secretary. She looked average but was competent and held a respectable position within the small-town police force.

He asked her, “Aren’t New Zealand police officers unarmed?”

Judy replied, “Not carrying a gun on duty doesn’t mean we’re not issued firearms. And that’s mainly a North Island rule. Here on the South Island, we’re allowed to carry guns—but they must be stored in the police vehicle. We can only use them when a serious crime or clear threat requires it.”

“For example, when we responded to your kidnapping case yesterday, we were authorized to go in armed,” a young officer added.

Wang Bo smiled in thanks. Regardless of how professional the police had been yesterday, they did come to rescue him immediately—led by Chief Smith himself.

Technically, Smith held the rank of Senior Sergeant, but people still addressed him as “Chief.” In New Zealand’s police system, that was a fairly senior position.

The New Zealand police structure is primarily divided into two major branches: the Uniformed Branch (Police Operations) and the Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB). The latter is composed of plainclothes detectives and experienced officers. All new officers start in the Uniformed Branch.

If a uniformed officer wants to move into the CIB, they typically need to serve for three to four years, then pass a series of studies and exams. Once transferred to the CIB and after gaining enough experience, top performers may be selected for advanced training at the Police Academy. After passing rigorous assessments, they become detectives and handle serious cases.

As for police ranks, the hierarchy starts from Constable, then Sergeant, Senior Sergeant, Inspector, Superintendent—and finally Commissioner, who leads the entire New Zealand Police Force.

Currently, Wang Bo was a sheriff, which counted as a low-ranking officer. If his small town grew into a larger settlement, he could be promoted to Sergeant—but that would be the limit unless he pursued a dedicated career path in law enforcement.

Still, Wang Bo was quite satisfied with his current position. He went to the locker room and changed into his sky-blue summer uniform.

Thanks to the improvements from the “Lord’s Heart,” his physique had become straight and strong, with broad shoulders, long legs, and clean, defined muscles. With his cap on, uniform crisp, and badge clipped to his gear belt, he looked every inch the heroic officer.

He quickly snapped a selfie in the mirror. Just as he was about to take a couple more, a fellow officer walked in, saw what he was doing, and laughed, shouting as he exited, “Someone’s shooting a recruitment video in the locker room!”

Feeling embarrassed, Wang Bo hurried out. He didn’t have anything else to do anyway—he was only there for onboarding at the Omarama Police Station and wasn’t officially part of their unit.

With nothing to occupy him, he waited outside. In the afternoon, a burly, bald middle-aged officer arrived at the station. Seeing Wang Bo, he paused, narrowed his eyes, and asked, “Who are you?”

Noting the officer’s rank, Wang Bo realized this was a sergeant and immediately extended his hand. “Hello, Sergeant. I’m Wang Bo.”

Judy helped out with the introduction. “Officer Barnes, this is Officer Wang from next door—an excellent fellow.”

Hearing the female officer’s introduction, Sergeant Barnes nodded slightly but ignored Wang Bo’s outstretched hand and walked into the station.

That left Wang Bo in an awkward spot, but Judy quietly explained: “That’s Sergeant Mark Barnes, a veteran with twenty years on the force. But you know how it is—he’s German. German men tend to be macho and like to look down on others.”

In New Zealand, promotions in the police force are slow. It usually takes close to ten years to rise from Constable to Sergeant, and most people stop there until retirement. Only a few outstanding Sergeants get promoted to Senior Sergeant.

A while later, Chief Smith came out and waved Wang Bo over. “Hey buddy, come with me. Those two drug dealers we nabbed yesterday just woke up in the hospital. Let’s go take a look. Also, we’ve got a tradition—when a new officer joins and we crack a major case, we throw a party. Judy will let you know when—it’s a must-attend!”

Wang Bo grinned. “Of course, Chief. I’ll definitely be there. In fact, I can’t wait!”

Both drug dealers had been admitted to the ICU. The scrawny white guy had inhaled too much pepper spray and suffered respiratory damage, while the other had collapsed ribs that punctured a lung—his condition was even worse.

Chief Smith personally drove Wang Bo to Omarama Public Hospital. The hospital, founded over a hundred years ago, was a relic of pre-WWI architecture. Located in the city center, it was surrounded by a park and scenic views.

In the ICU, a young man wearing a sergeant’s insignia greeted them. Chief Smith introduced him—his name was Mike Arthur, a sergeant in the Armed Offenders Squad (AOS). Serious drug cases like this were under their jurisdiction.

Hearing the name, Wang Bo couldn’t help but wince. That name—Mike Arthur—was practically a tribute to two famous American generals! And this sergeant was young, probably around Wang Bo’s age.

Now that he understood how hard it was to get promoted in the New Zealand police, Wang Bo could tell this guy must have some serious talent to rise so quickly—this American-named “general” clearly had something special.