Latisha Whalan

Latisha is a First Nations member of the Queensland Police Service (QPS). She is currently serving at the rank of Acting Sergeant within the Crime Prevention Programs Unit at Police headquarters. Latisha has been employed by the QPS since 2010, having joined the organisation at the tender age of 21 years old. Since joining the service, she met her partner and is now a mother of two children. Latisha plays scrum half in Rugby Union for the Wynnum Bugs and, much like on the field, Latisha is highly engaging and authentic in her approach to being a team player and a leader.

With her 13 years of experience with QPS, including 10 years within General Duties in areas like Logan district and the Gold Coast, Latisha has found her passion for community service, mentoring hundreds of at-risk teens to recognise and take the “right track” in life in a police mentoring capacity.

Latisha is a passionate officer who rarely passes up the opportunity to make a difference. She is motivated to create subtle positive changes within her organisation, especially for the younger generation of the police force. Latisha possesses self-awareness, is credible, and has a strong focus on authentic relationship-building regardless of who it may be with.

“As a current sworn officer, partner, and mother I have come to the realisation that first responding inherently becomes more than a job, it’s often a way of life that our family members didn’t sign up for. The price we pay to serve our community almost always comes at a cost we didn’t realise, and with time, inflation is inevitable. I am grateful to be a part of the Fortem Australia family who simply helps pay for a portion of that ‘cost’ by supporting the inevitable mental health journey of a first responder. Fortem Australia is like an insurance we didn’t know we needed until we really needed them.”

By joining the Fortem Australia family as an ambassador, Latisha pledges “to act out my values of leading with kindness and creating a safe place to assist first responders with opening up about the hardships we often face but don’t talk about. We (police) ‘kit up’ with tools each shift so we can protect and serve our community effectively however we often forget the ultimate tool; our ability to protect and serve our mental health. We don’t fail if we fall down, we fail if we don’t get back up and we need to start helping each other get back up.”