At its heart, policing is about looking out for the community, and sometimes it means going that extra mile.

Last week, Constable Matt Boswell and Senior Constable Christopher Couch attended a job to assist an elderly South Brisbane resident who had disturbed an offender as he tried to break into her home.

They arrived to find the door had been ripped off its hinges, and so the resident was unable to secure her home.

Constable Boswell said the woman was very grateful to see the officers.

“It was clear the lady was very shaken from the ordeal,” Constable Boswell said.

“However, the first thing she said was ‘Do you want a cup of tea?’.

“That was very thoughtful.”

Police found out she had been forced to cancel her plans for the day as a result of the incident.

The officers sat with the resident for a while, making conversation to put her at ease.

“We wanted to make her feel safe in her own home once again,” Constable Boswell said.

Learning she was a recent widow and lived alone, Constable Boswell said this made them feel they had a duty of care to make sure she was safe and secure.

Using his carpentry skills from his previous life as a tradie, Constable Boswell set about the task of repairing her broken door.

“I went to work bending the hinges back and drilling new screw holes to re-hang the door on the door jamb,” Constable Boswell said.

“It was not a perfect by any means, but the door was locked and secured.”

Constable Boswell and Senior Constable Couch then let the resident give them a tour around her home, and she even showed them her favourite art pieces.

“We made sure she was okay,” Constable Boswell said.

They then gave her some home security advice and left a note for her handyman to assist with making her house more secure.

These small acts of care can make a big difference to people in our community, and the QPS is proud to have officers like Constable Boswell and Senior Constable Couch.