- Twenty-six members of the Queensland Police Services' (QPS) Townsville District have received National level awards
- A Certificate of Appreciation was awarded to a Police Volunteer in Policing (ViP)
- Awards recognise officers' service and dedication to the community.
Queensland Police Service (QPS) honoured 26 police officers and one Volunteer in Policing (ViP) in the Townsville District, for their bravery and diligent service to the community.
Of those recognised, was Senior Sergeant Chris Caswell, Senior Constable Timothy Farran and Senior Constable Sean Donnelly who were presented with the National Emergency Medal. This award recognises officers' exceptional service in nationally significant emergencies including the Victorian bushfires in February 2009, Queensland floods between December 2010 and January 2011 and Cyclone Yasi and Tropical Cyclone Debbie in 2019, and the North Queensland floods in January and February of 2019.
Sergeant Graeme Ferguson, Sergeant Andrew Whybird, Senior Constable Alysha Bloomfield, Senior Constable Simon Walsh, Constable Joshua Caldecourt, Constable Allister Morris and Constable Michael Trapp all received District Officer Certificates for their resourcefulness, tenacity, and courage in the line of duty.
On 31 March, Sergeant Ferguson, Senior Constable Walsh, and Constable Caldecourt demonstrated sound judgment and courage when they responded to an alleged incident of a man at a licenced premises wielding an axe and a knife.
Due to the imminent danger to members of the public, the officers acted quickly to resolve the alleged incident and to ensure the safety of others, resulting in the man being taken into custody with no injuries to members of the public.
On May 4, Sergeant Whybird, Senior Constable Bloomfield, Constable Morris and Constable Trapp responded to an incident of an armed and aggressive man who was making public threats on a busy roadway.
The officers remained calm and patient while they de-escalated the situation and were able to safely restrain the armed individual with no injuries being caused to members of the public in the process.
The National Police Service Medal was awarded to five police officers who have served for a minimum of 15 years' and represents their ethical commitment to the Service and Queensland.
The National Medal was awarded to five members of the QPS who have completed a period of 15 years' with clasps being awarded for a further period of 10 years' service.
The QPS Medal was awarded to 13 officers for their ethical and diligent service.
A Certificate of Appreciation was also awarded to Ms Grace Blakey who joined the Townsville Police District ViP program in 2010, and served 12 years prior to retiring last year.
Ms Blakey was acknowledged for her work in road safety, crime prevention and community initiatives,.
Quotes attributable to Minister Mark Ryan: "These awards reflect the remarkable work of Townsville Police and serve as an important reminder of their dedication and upholding the values of this organisation," he said.
"These awards are a testament to their work and commitment, whether they are front-line officers or performing other valuable roles within the organisation.
"They should all be very proud of their achievements, and I offer my sincere congratulations."
Quote attributable to Member for Mundingburra Les Walker:
"Our police do an amazing job keeping our community safe and the least we can do is acknowledge the exceptional work they do."
Quotes attributable to Member for Thuringowa Aaron Harper: "Working as a police officer is a dangerous job but they do it to keep our community safe which is why these awards are important."
Quotes attributable to Member for Townsville Scott Stewart: "Every person should be proud of the work they do for our community as part of the Queensland Police Service and these awards are an important way to recognise this."
Quotes attributable to Acting Assistant Commissioner Glenn Morris:
"These biannual ceremonies are a wonderful way to formally recognise and congratulate police for their outstanding dedication to protecting and serving the Queensland community," he said.
"All of the recipients have served the community in a professional, responsive, and ethical way to ensure the safety of Queenslanders.
"I am incredibly proud to commend the award recipients here today for their efforts, the example they are setting and the diligent work it takes to achieve recognition with these awards."
Fast facts:
- National-level awards were presented to QPS members in the Townsville Police District and one award to a ViP
- District Officer's Certificates were awarded to seven officers for their bravery and response to incidents of armed individuals.
