After a four-decade-long career, Superintendent Margetts said the timing was "perfect" to retire from the force.

"I have had a great career with Victoria Police, it just feels like the right time to give it away," he said.

"I leave feeling really satisfied and mentally strong, having great memories of working with the community."

Superintendent Margetts joined the academy as an 18-year-old and has been with the Police ever since.

"The Police have provided me plenty of great opportunities over the years," Superintendent Margetts explained.

"I enjoyed working with Police from other jurisdictions especially New South Wales and South Australia while working at Police stations located on the state's borders.

"I have worked on a whole range of policing and public safety programs and been situated in regional and rural communities as well as metropolitan Melbourne and Sydney.

"I started as a Constable and I am retiring as a Superintendent."

OTHER NEWS:

Superintendent Margetts said his passion for helping the community started in his youth.

"Growing up I had always had a moral sense of service in the back of my mind," he said.

"As a youth, I was involved in the scout association, and their motto is to be prepared, and their objectives are all about leadership and doing your best and providing service.

"The police seemed to fit well with my beliefs and interests and I really enjoyed the connection with the community."

Superintendent Margetts got his start in the force as the first trainee appointed to the Horsham Police Station in 1982.

"That was a really interesting time, he said.

"There were no computers then. It was time-consuming.

"Now every police member has a personal computing device, we have come so far with technology."

Superintendent Margetts was then stationed at Russell Street in Melbourne at the breath analysis section before being transferred to Prahran.

"After being in Prahran I was keen to head back to the country," he said.

"So I went to Echuca where I met my wife, then we moved to Ouyen and then Koondrook where I was promoted to Sergeant."

Following his stint in Koondrook he was transferred to Ararat in 1988, where he was stationed for three years.

"During my time in the region I was fortunate enough to be selected as the Sergeant in charge of the Halls Gap Police Station," Superintendent Margetts said.

"That's where I got involved in emergency management and roles, particularly in bushfire prevention and in the tourism industry.

"I helped build capability within the tourism sector and gave the tourism operators confidence to provide their guests advice on what to take in case of a fire in the Grampians."

After his time in Halls Gap, Superintendent Margetts was promoted to Senior Sergeant and stationed in Warrnambool, followed by Stawell.

He then found himself as an inspector in Melbourne before going back to Echuca and then finally back to Horsham.

"I have worked for many different communities during my time," Superintendent Margetts said.

"I am so grateful for my family as they have provided me with so much support over the years.

"We have moved house 12 or 13 times and lived in so many different communities, while at the same time we have great friends across every community.

"We used to always consider what the impact would be on the kids moving schools all the time, but they have grown up with really good social skills and are really successful in their own right."

OTHER NEWS:

In 2020 Superintendent Margetts was selected to represent Victoria Police in Sydney at the Australian Institute of Police Management.

"I have always been involved in leadership development within the organisation, it's a major passion of mine," he said.

"When we first arrived there, I was so excited and then by March, all of the COVID-19 restrictions had started to come in, and it changed the whole dynamic."

Superintendent Margetts then found himself back in Melbourne amid the pandemic, which turned out to be his final mission as part of the Victoria Police.

"I was selected to come back to Melbourne to work in quarantine command to support the Victorian operation around international returning travellers," he said.

"I didn't have a picture of what the end of my career would look like, but I have got to say I am delighted to be involved in the Victorian Police's response to mandatory hotel quarantine arrangements.

"I am retiring with a feeling of completing an operation, if I was to continue on I would need to step into a new role, learn a new set of skills and deliver another mission."

With his decorated career now behind him, Superintendent Margetts looks forward to spending more time with family while still being involved with the Blue Ribbon Foundation.

"Later this year we will become grandparents for the first time so that will be a new thing in our position description," he said.

"Next year and beyond, with travel becoming an option again, we have plans to travel and see the world.

"I will continue as a volunteer with the Blue Ribbon Association, who work around creating memorials for fallen police officers and supporting their families.

"Through the Ararat branch I will take on the role of patron for the ride to remember which will be really exciting, it's great event."

Superintendent Margetts will officially end service with Victoria Police on November 30, 2022.

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