Goldfields-Esperance police superintendent says struggles can turn into strengths

The superintendent of one of the biggest policing districts in the world has told the women of Kalgoorlie-Boulder their struggles can turn into strengths.

Kate Collins, who oversees the Goldfields-Esperance district, inspired the crowd at Friday’s Women’s Leadership Forum run by the Kalgoorlie-Boulder Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Supt Collins said her journey was shaped by her mother — a nurse who suffered a back injury at work and was led down a path of serious health struggles.

“Over time, it became a relentless cycle of grief, guilt, confusion and frustration,” she said.

“This isn’t a pity party — it’s context, and it helps explain how I came to see the world.

“That experience taught me early that people’s choices, particularly when they are vulnerable, are often shaped by what is happening underneath the surface — trauma, illness, fear, addiction, instability, things others can’t always see.”

Supt Collins first joined the police force as a single mother with a 10-month-old baby.

“I learnt very quickly that policing isn’t just a job, it’s about people, and I realised that the lived experiences I carried with me became strengths,” she said.

“My career unfolded because I kept saying yes when asked — even when I wasn’t sure I was ready, even when imposter syndrome kicked in, even when the timing wasn’t ideal.

“That’s the real story of how I got here, not talent, not luck, not ambition, just showing up, learning to back myself even when I was terrified, and choosing to keep moving even when the path wasn’t clear.

“Nothing prepares you for leading a district this size until you’re doing it.

“The Goldfields is enormous, complex, culturally rich, and operationally challenging, but it suits me.”

Supt Collins said she was backed, mentored, challenged and supported throughout her career by leaders who only saw her capability, not her gender.

“One thing people often assume — especially when they hear how long I’ve worked in policing — is that the path here must have been full of barriers and closed doors, but the truth is that’s not how I experienced it,” she said.

“Maybe it was because the agency was evolving and starting to shift, or maybe it was because my upbringing taught me to hold my own without overthinking it, and that I had every right to be in the room, and I acted accordingly.

“Whatever the reason, I’ve been fortunate to have incredible opportunities.”