Dean Williams is 17 years old and has spent his fair share of time in police watch houses.

Growing up in Camooweal, in Queensland's remote north-west, Dean readily admits he has not made great choices in his life so far.

But when he was introduced to Camooweal police officer-in-charge Sergeant Amit Singh, that began to change.

"When he first came here, I got to know him," Dean said.

"We'd go training, do fitness … go hunting, swimming.

"[We hunt for] bush foods, for sugarbag, or kangaroo, or goanna.

"We bring mainly the kangaroos back to town for the elders and family."

While it might sound like a lot of fun, there's a method behind the adventures, which began when Sergeant Singh, at the request of Dean's mother, took the teenager under his wing.

He invited him to take part in a program Sergeant Singh himself designed — one he calls the positive energy exchange transformation (PEET) program.

Sergeant Singh said while Dean may not have been enthusiastic at the start, he had become nothing short of a "massive success story".

Recently Dean, who had never been given an art lesson, presented Sergeant Singh with a painting he designed and made himself — one Sergeant Singh said he will hang in the Camooweal police station to remind the community and future police officers of the work that can be done with disengaged youth.

Dean Williams created this painting for Sergeant Amit Singh to show his appreciation. ( ABC North West Queensland: Kelly Butterworth )

Rewards for achievements

Sergeant Singh grew up in a jungle region of Fiji, living in what he describes as poverty.

His first big opportunity came from the kindness of a stranger, and since then he has aimed to give back to anyone in need of his help.

He said by developing the PEET program, he was teaching wayward young people the benefits of exercise for not only their physical health, but mental health.

"It's everything — I use my personal experiences of where I come from, what I did, and how I got to where I am and then also understanding their upbringing and the things they've been exposed to," he said.

"We do a lot of talking, a lot of enforcing ideas of my past and talking about what they did, and then using the cultural side of things to take them hunting, and using the land and a reward system to promote good behaviour."

Sergeant Singh said the reward system could be anything from a ride in the police car, to a trip to a swimming hole.

"Basically when we get some juvenile who's been committing offences, we sit down and work out a plan of what they need and how they can get to their goal," he said.

"For example if someone has been put on bail … I put things in place and if they fulfil those goals, then the reward will be taking them for a ride in the police car, or hunting, or to a river to swim.

"There's no river here in the summertime, so we go to Lawn Hill, so it's a big thing because these kids don't have transportation and it's the things they love most."

Next move for sergeant

Sergeant Amit Singh with Camooweal local Dean Williams outside the police station. ( ABC North West Queensland: Kelly Butterworth )

Sergeant Singh finished his tenure in Camooweal this week, and for teenagers like Dean who have flourished under his watchful eye, Sergeant Singh said it was now up to them to continue on their own good path and influence the younger kids.

Dean said he was keeping an eye on his younger brothers, and hoped to be employed this year on one of the local cattle stations as a ringer.

Sergeant Singh's next move will be to Hopevale — an Indigenous community in Queensland's far north.

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