A Gunnedah police sergeant is heading back to his hometown for the next chapter of his career.
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Sergeant Mark Benson will clock on for the last time at the Gunnedah station on December 13 and just two days later, will start his new job at the Tamworth station.
He'll be diving straight in, working over the festive season in the 24-hour station.
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Sergeant Benson is "a Tamworth boy" but spent his first four years in policing at Hurstville, then moved into highway patrol for 15 years in Auburn.
He made the move to the Gunnedah station in August 2014 when he was promoted to sergeant.
After more than five years as "a jack of all trades", he said he's "ready for a change".
Sergeant Benson will move into a newly created position, and while his title is still the same, he will spend more time behind the desk and less out on the beat.
"Coming back here and diversifying back into general duties was a steep learning curve but I've enjoyed it. You've got to be multi-skilled ... there's been a variety of work," he said.
"Gunnedah's one of the towns where it's either feast or famine and the [officers] do have to display a fair bit of self-reliance because of the limited numbers we've got.
"That's why I think, if someone can work here at Gunnedah and do it, they can go anywhere because they've done pretty much everything; they've done a variety of work and they've got a good skill set."
Sergeant Benson said it's "the people that make the station" and the Gunnedah team were "a great bunch of people - family-orientated and very accommodating".
He will know at least one face at the Tamworth station - Senior Constable Brian McDougall is also making the move.