IT was the ultimate baptism of fire for the latest crop of cops to land in Cairns.

The quartet, who recently graduated from the police academy in Brisbane, were thrown into the deep end with their first shift coinciding with New Year's Eve.

But Constable Rhys Everittsaid it was a good end to the year as he begins his new career.

"I wasn't expecting it, but it was good to get out there," the former Athlete's Foot store manager said.

"It's a little bit different (to my old job), it's a lot more faster paced than it was in the store."

The Brisbane-bred Everitt put Cairns as his first preference.

"I just wanted to go to work and know I was doing something for the better each day so it's good to get out there in the community and really help out," he said.

He has landed in the Far North alongside former army reservist Anneliese Mickelberg, engineer Danny Haberland and rail security manager Frederik Smit and the group are among 24 new recruits who have been assigned to the region this year.

Constables Smit and Haberland bring an international flavour to the group with Haberland arriving in Australia from the UK only a year ago and Smit originally from South Africa.

"It's something I've always wanted to do, interesting job, variety, lots of options for the future," Constable Haberland said.

"Where I'm from there's a lot more focus on gang crime and knife crime."

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