The sole and first ever female police officer in a tiny, isolated town is going above and beyond the call of duty to bring her outback community closer together.

Share Senior Constable Vicki Shipley is the only police officer in Tibooburra, NSW.

Early on a brisk Thursday morning recently, Senior Constable Vicki Shipley waited on the empty street outside the Tibooburra police station for her walking group to assemble.

Her fiercely loyal chihuahua, Mickey, wearing his own miniature hi-vis police vest, stayed close to her heels.

After relocating to the remote town in far west New South Wales several months earlier and realising that there was "no real trouble" in the small community of less than 100 people, Senior Constable Shipley decided she would need to come up with things other than policing to do.

So she got started, organised a morning walking group, aqua aerobics classes for children and adults, community morning teas, pancake breakfasts, trivia and bingo nights.

"She's got so much on her plate, I don't know how she does it," said Melissa Thomson, the publican of Tibooburra Family Hotel.

Share Tibooburra's population at the 2016 census was 134. Locals say there are now fewer than 100 people living in town.

Share Senior Constable Shipley runs a walking group every morning

Share Senior Constable Vicki Shipley's fiercely loyal chihuahua, Mickey, accompanies her everywhere

At the gateway to 'Corner Country', Tibooburra is one of the most remote places in NSW.

The busy, traffic-laden roads that Senior Constable Shipley used to police as a highway patrol officer on the east coast are worlds away.

Tibooburra is a 16-hour drive from Sydney or Brisbane, and the closest city is Broken Hill, which is still more than 300 kilometres south.

"My first impression was, wow, it's a long way from anywhere," Senior Constable Shipley laughed.

Share Tibooburra is one of the most remote towns in New South Wales

Share Tibooburra is at the gateway to Corner Country, in the far northwest of New South Wales

Senior Constable Shipley and her husband Dirk were visiting Tibooburra as tourists in their campervan when they heard there was a vacancy for the town's only police job.

At the time, she was battling inflammatory breast cancer — a particularly rare and aggressive form of the disease that affects only one to 3 per cent of people diagnosed.

"It's changed my life," she said.

"I have to work and I want to work, so I thought, oh might as well go out west and enjoy myself."

Share After relocating to the remote town and realising that there was "no real trouble" there, Senior Constable Shipley decided she would need to come up with things other than policing to do.

The pair left the white beaches of Wollongong for orange desert sands, saying goodbye to urban life and long commutes. Senior Constable Shipley used to travel an hour to get to work. Now, the station is just a few paces from her front door.

A heavy-duty police 4WD, capable of cruising down bumpy dirt roads, is usually parked out front. Inside, there's a desk, bathroom and a holding cell — there for show more than anything.

After almost six months as Tibooburra's chief of police, Senior Constable Shipley had only made one arrest, and it wasn't a local.

"There's a lot less what I would call conventional police work," she said.

Perhaps the most "conventional" part of Senior Constable Shipley's job was the mountain of paperwork that followed firearms audits. But even then, long days of driving on the open road and hours of chatting to station owners would be unfamiliar experiences for most police officers.

Share Senior Constable Vicki Shipley, Tibooburra's first female police officer.

Share Senior Constable Shipley said the most "conventional" part of her job is the paperwork.

With very little crime to manage, Senior Constable Shipley said she spent a lot of her time thinking about activities for the community to enjoy.

"Since she got here she starting cooking up plans," said Dirk, who Senior Constable Shipley said had become a bit of a "local character" in his own right.

"I haven't minded. I just said, 'yes dear.' I said 'why not?'"

Share Senior Constable Vicki Shipley and her husband, Dirk, relocated to Tibooburra from Wollongong.

Tibooburra locals — from those who've lived there their entire lives, to a backpacker who had been in town for three weeks — expressed nothing but praise for Senior Constable Shipley's irrepressible community spirit.

"I especially am very appreciative for the activities she organised for this community," said Yakun Pei, who goes by Christina and took a job working at the general store in Tibooburra while backpacking through Australia.

"I got the job through Vicki ... she will ask me when I have a day off and she will drive the car and show me around. This is really lovely because ... for backpackers, if you don't look around, probably Tibooburra will be a boring place for you."

Share Christina working at the general store in Tibooburra.

Local publican Melissa Thomson said Senior Constable Shipley had become "part of the family".

"She does her job — I don't think she'd back down from that when she's on duty. But other than that, she's just another local in town."

Share Senior Constable Shipley and her husband Dirk ran a survival swim class for children at the local pool.

Bethannie Bright, 20, an aspiring police officer, accompanied Senior Constable Shipley on a routine 'roo run' while staying with friends in Tibooburra.

The pair drove out to a section of the Silver City Highway that doubles as an airstrip used by the Royal Flying Doctor Service to ensure it was clear of roadkill and rocks — anything that would prevent a smooth landing in the event of an emergency.

"She told me all the ins and outs ... (it) gets me looking forward to the job, makes me want to come out west to be a police officer even more," said Ms Bright.

"We need more of this — women running the show."

Share Bethannie Bright, 20, said accompanying Senior Constable Shipley on 'roo runs' had inspired her to become an outback police officer.

Is it awkward, being friends with everybody in town but knowing that she might have to discipline locals?

No, said Senior Constable Shipley.

"I don't have any issues with that. That's what I'm here for, to do a job, and if I have to do it, I will do it. But at this stage I haven't had to," she laughed.

In the meantime, Senior Constable Shipley said she had "quite a few ideas" brewing for more activities the community could enjoy.

Share Bingo night, hosted by Senior Constable Shipley, became a regular event on the town's social calendar.

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