Sir Robert Peel, known as the father of modern policing, once said that “The police are the public and the public are the police.”
This mantra seems to be central in Detective Superintendent Mick Calatzis’ 38-year career in the Australian Federal Police, a dedication that won him recently the highest accolade in the Greek Orthodox Church. The Cross of St Andrew.
His friends and colleagues state that it is an award so well deserved.
“Mick has always been very proud of his Greek heritage,” retired Detective Inspector, Daryl Neate told Neos Kosmos.
“He has always been one to try and lead and in the beginning it was very difficult for him, as a young Greek boy in the Australian Federal Police. But he was strong in his beliefs and was always trying to break down barriers, not just for himself, but for others as well, who were of diverse backgrounds.”
His pride in his Greek heritage and his good sense of humour, would earn him the nickname “the Golden Greek”, as the wreath of his hat had turned gold over 16 years as Detective Superintendent.
“I was probably in the right place at the right time”
Mick Calatzis was a young 19-year-old living in Perth, destined to take over the family business, when it all became suddenly too complicated. Trying to figure out his next step in life, he decided to join the Australian Federal Police, at a time when there were hardly any, if at all, police officers of ethnic background.
“At 19, I was probably in the right place at the right time. The Federal Police was growing. They needed young men and women. I was 19 and ready for new commitments, and an adventure.”
When his father warned him, that as a Greek Australian, his path wouldn’t be easy in a dominant Anglo-Saxon environment, Mick Calatzis didn’t believe him. He soon discovered however, how true that was.
“I have worked extremely hard to get where I am today and it hasn’t been easy,” he says as in his earlier career he has felt injustice and discrimination in a number of ways.
But he was always determined, finally becoming the first Greek Australian commissioned police officer in the AFP, rising up the ranks to the position of Detective Superintendent 16 years ago.
“My main mantra is equity. If you can’t see it, you can’t be it,” which was the reason he says, that he recently decided to take on the position of chair of the Culturally And Linguistically Diverse network in the Australian Federal Police.
“We still have a long way to go,” Supt Calantzis says. As he is nearing the winter of his career he wants to do all he can for the next generation, setting an example to Greek Australians and other citizens of diverse backgrounds who wish to join the Force.
For decades he has been a mentor, known for opening doors to people, and has a vicarious pleasure in seeing people succeed, even funding a young man’s education so he could achieve his dreams.
Supt Calatzis talks about the difficult times and the adversity he has faced in his life.
“To keep my authentic self and my values, I’ve had to become highly resilient. I’ve had personal and professional adversity, but I also knew that I just had to manage it and bounce back.”
He sees himself as a Canberra street policeman made good.
“I’ve worked in the streets in Canberra, going to brawls, attending frontline matters, critical incidents of the highest nature. And every day, I reflect and try to become a better leader.”
It is perhaps this reflection, and balance he strives for in his life, that has kept him grounded and the right man to put in charge of a crisis due to his calm demeanour.
It is for this trait he believes, that he was sent as operational commander during the earthquake in Christchurch.
“Very few people have actually ever seen me lose my temper, but remaining calm is also a matter of self-discipline,” the Greek Australian Superintendent explains.
He has worked all over Australia, in Sydney, Adelaide, Darwin and Perth, and in many parts of the world.
“I’ve worked in a Royal Commission for trade union corruption, and in a significant corruption inquiry into police corruption in the West Australian police force.” During his early years he was stationed with the United Nations in Mozambique, and then in East Timor, experiences which taught him resilience and opened him up to all the global issues.
“Policing, is a giving occupation. It’s very satisfying and a worthy occupation,” Supt Mick Calatzis continues.
“You will see the best of humankind. But you’ll also see the worst of humankind. The fundamental key is balance and reflection, and to know that you are privileged to be a police officer.”
“If you don’t become a police officer for power, you are there to serve the public and the community. If you see yourself as better than anybody else, you need to think again.
You are one of the few, who in a crisis, people will welcome in their homes. They tell you their most private details, they trust you. And they expect you to put order into chaos in their lives without judgement and to provide them with safety.”
He tells us how surprised he was when he was contacted by the church about being honoured with the cross of St Andrew.
“When I was given the award, the archbishop said that apart from my distinguished police service, I was known for my strong work ethic, and for my service to the Australian community.”
Being part of The Phoenix Rising, a Not for Profit foundation created to build free retreats for homeless broken veterans and abused, neglected, suicidal and homeless children, is one such example of his involvement in significant community issues, and his yearly commitment to raising funds for men’s cancer research is yet another.
“The one thing that always stood out in Mick was his faith and his strong connection to the Greek Church and community,” his colleague Daryl Neate adds.
“No matter where he was posted, even overseas, he would always search for a church in the Greek community. I believe his faith, his connection to the Greek church, was the one thing in good times and bad times, that seemed to give him solace, strength, and pride.”
