The former Department of Conservation ranger has been posted to the Oamaru Police Station after graduating from the Royal New Zealand Police College in Wing 286 in September.
Constable Jones (44) has lived in Oamaru for about nine years, working first in science and welfare at the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony, and then as a Department of Conservation ranger for about eight years.
''I absolutely loved it. It was a cracker job because we did basically everything from cleaning toilets to fencing to looking after penguins - the whole shebang,'' she said.
The then biology teacher initially came to New Zealand on holiday from England.
''I was supposed to be going up to see my cousin in the North Island, but I spent the majority of my time travelling around the South Island and just thought `I want to live here','' she said.
Six months later, she moved to New Zealand.
A career in the police force had always been in the back of her mind and she discovered it was not too late to join.
Now, armed with life experience, she is glad she waited.
Const Jones said she was ''really enjoying'' her change in career and the support from the staff at the Oamaru Police Station had been ''fantastic''.
When not in the blue uniform, the former netball and hockey coach also enjoys playing the guitar.
