This event marked the first face to face meeting of the crime-fighting trio, aware of each other from a history of misdirected emails. 

Hart the youngest marched forward, saluting Superintendent Paul Hart, who swore him into the Service as a new First Year Constable. FYC Hart’s father, Special Constable Paul Hart, presented his son with his badge.  

“We collectively thought we had a really special thing happening that we could celebrate at Paul Junior’s induction,” Superintendent Hart said.

Prior to joining the Recruit Training Program, FYC Hart, who grew up in Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, ran a small mechanical business and volunteered as an Operational Restricted Coxswain with the Volunteer Marine Rescue Coast Guard.

In preparation for his career change, he completed a Certificate IV and Diploma of Law and Justice.

“Continuing my family’s legacy is a great honour and means everything to me. I am grateful for my dad’s unwavering support that helped me achieve my aspirations of becoming a police officer,” He said. 

Special Constable Hart retired due to age in late 2023 but was sworn in as a Special Constable. A new role, introduced last year, enables eligible officers to continue performing frontline policing duties on an on-demand basis. 

Superintendent Paul Hart also has family connections with the police, having sworn his own son into the Service two years ago. His son-in-law and brother-in-law also work in specialist police units in the Queensland Police Service. 

“The QPS has been such a huge part of my life, it feels like the organisation itself is an extended family,” he said.

Indeed, of the 137 new officers sworn in to the QPS at the May 16 graduation ceremony, 28 were the legacies of police families.