Recognized for Bravery

These newspaper articles tells the story of my actions that saved the life of a six-year-old girl who had fallen into the Waikato River near Cambridge.

While off duty and walking along the riverbank, I saw the child in distress. Just on dusk. Removing most of my clothing, I entered the fast-flowing river and was swept around 300 metres downstream before managing to reach and rescue her. Getting out of the water at night with tree branches blocking the way, was difficult and cold.

Below is a transcript of the article.

Shy hero recognised

A publicity shy policeman who saved a young girl being swept away in the Waikato River last year has been recognised for his bravery at a police award ceremony last week.
On the evening of July 14 last year, the off-duty constable, who asked not to be named, was walking along a bank of the Waikato River in Cambridge when he noticed the six-year-old girl had fallen into the river.

Removing most of his clothing, the officer dived into the river and was swept downstream for about 300 metres before managing to grab the young girl and bring her to safety.

Returning the girl to her mother, the officer says to the girl, “make sure you behave for your mummy okay”, then left without leaving his name.

His actions would have gone unheralded had the girl’s mother not seen the officer’s ID and informed Waikato Police commanders of his actions.

The mother requested anonymity in her letter but says:
“The police were always getting attacked and the public need to know that even when off-duty they will still risk their lives to save someone and he didn’t want any recognition for it.
“If it weren’t, I would not have my daughter today.”

Awarding the constable a District Commander’s Commendation, superintendent Allan Boreham says the constable’s actions were in the highest traditions of the New Zealand Police.

“It shows that officers, even when off duty, were prepared to put their personal safety at risk to assist others in times of need.”

Reflecting on the incident, the officer says he just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

“I just did what anyone else would do,” he says.

“The range of awards demonstrates the dedication to duty of New Zealand Police officers as they go about their everyday business, often operating in what can be a very tough environment,” Mr Boreham says.