Martin Carroll is a dedicated policeman by trade but a passionate silversmith in his own time.
The Herald is this week profiling some of our emergency service heroes who have hidden talents or other jobs.
Tucked away on a 31 acre property with six goats, 15 chickens, three cats, a dog and a wife is a shed that houses a policeman with a special skill.
By day Martin Carroll wears a blue and white uniform, drives a car with flashing lights and issues tickets to unlawful motorists, but in his free time the Pokeno based Highway Patrol officer is a dab hand at metalwork.
The sound of hammer against metal rings from Carroll's silversmith workshop in Onewhero village, Waikato, as he meticulously crafts decanters, water jugs, beakers and trays.
The Englishman first took up the trade almost 30 years ago, studying at the Kent Institute of Art & Design and making a name for himself as the Best Junior Silversmith in the UK.
Police officer Martin Carroll spends his time away from the patrol car working as a silversmith at his home in Taukau.
Carroll spent five years working for Grant Macdonald (Silversmiths) Ltd before work started to dry up and he decided he needed a more "stable" career.
"I remember seeing this police officer walking along the street and I thought 'that is an easy job, I quite like that', and I joined the police force," he said.
Two decades on Carroll has worked for the Surrey Police Target Patrol Team and been a community officer, before transferring to frontline policing in New Zealand. Here he has worked on the Strategic Traffic Unit, the Serious Crash Unit, as an Airport police officer and been deployed to the Solomon Islands.
For the past year and a half he has been working in highway patrol, while still trying to maintain a silversmith business on the side.
"It is really difficult at times to work the silversmithing around my police work," he said.
"I basically do five days on and four days off so as soon as my four days start it is into the workshop and I will do 8-10 hour days doing the silverware."
Carroll said while the police force pays his mortgage, silversmithing remains his escape from it all.
A large water jug, tray, and beakers hand-crafted by Martin Carroll.
"It is a half hour drive for me to get from work to home but I can't hear any traffic. All you can hear is the animals, the cock calls, the birds flying over and the insect highway buzzing.
"You don't have all the other distractions you get in the town and when I am in the workshop I just lose myself, especially when I am making something from nothing," he said.
"Silversmithing is an escape from it all, especially when you are going to serious accidents and seeing stuff that most people don't normally see in their lifetimes."
Despite the adversity of police work, Carroll said he loves being able to educate people and change behaviours.
"Our job is about road safety. It is not about revenue, we are here to prevent, educate and make people aware of their speed.
