Media Release
***EMBARGOED TO 3.30PM WEDNESDAY 21 OCTOBER 2015***

Wednesday, 21 October 2015
Two Police Officers Honoured with Bravery Awards

The outstanding bravery of Senior Constable Adrian Oldham and Constable Ben Turner will be honoured today with a New Zealand Police Association Bravery Award.

The award will be presented at 3.30PM today by Prime Minister John Key at the Association’s 80th Annual Conference in Wellington. The Police Association Bravery Awards represent recognition of an outstanding act of bravery by an officer’s peers.

Police Association President Greg O’Connor said, “Both Senior Constable Oldham and Constable Turner showed extraordinary courage in two separate and very different events.”

Mr Oldham entered a burning home alone, without any fire safety equipment, to rescue a 77 year old woman trapped inside. Unable to see and struggling to breathe in choking black smoke, Mr Oldham crawled in the direction of where he had seen the woman. Feeling his way around in the thick smoke, he found her and grabbed her ankle, dragging her to the window and then out to safety with the help of a colleague who had arrived at the scene.

Mr Turner was involved in the pursuit of a known armed and dangerous offender which led to a confrontation at a crowded supermarket car park. The offender, armed with a sawn-off shotgun, was attempting to carjack an elderly woman. Mr Turner, who was unarmed, rushed towards the offender, pulling him away from the woman, putting his own life at risk to help another, thereby showing true selflessness and bravery.

“The actions of Senior Constable Oldham and Constable Turner exemplify the traditions and highest ideals of policing,” Mr O’Connor said.

“Senior Constable Oldham’s decision to enter the burning home alone undoubtedly saved the life of Neta Lawrence. Constable Turner’s actions undoubtedly saved members of the public and police from further violence from an armed and dangerous offender.

“It is for these acts of extraordinary bravery that the two officers are being honoured by their peers with a New Zealand Police Association Bravery Award.

“A New Zealand Police Association Bravery Award is the highest honour the Police Association can bestow on its members to recognise such extraordinary acts. It is fitting that the award is presented by New Zealand’s Prime Minister as the highest representative of the society police are sworn to protect,” Mr O’Connor said.

** Media please note: Senior Constable Oldham and Constable Turner will not be available for comment before the awards presentation on 21 October. They will be present at the ceremony and available for comment immediately afterwards.

About the New Zealand Police Association Bravery Awards
The New Zealand Police Association Bravery Awards were established by the Police Association to recognise and honour the most outstanding acts of bravery performed by members, on or off duty. Whilst acts of bravery may be recognised by other Police and civilian awards, the Association’s Bravery Award is unique in that it represents recognition of a member’s outstanding bravery by his or her colleagues and peers.

The design of the award is based on the sternpost of a Maori waka, traditionally carved to provide guardianship on a journey. In the Bravery Award, the cast bronze sternpost incorporates a Police chevron, and represents the strength, resolve and community guardianship of police. The sternpost is topped by a flame of pounamu, representing the outstanding valour of the act of bravery, and the high value in which the recipient is held.

2015 is the fifth year in which Bravery Awards have been made. The first award was made in 2010 to Inspector Mike O’Leary, who, while off duty, placed his own safety at risk in rescuing two children from a burning van following a serious crash near Taupo. In 2011, Constable Mike Wardle and former constable Marty Stiles were honoured for their courage in rescuing Senior Constable Bruce Lamb after he had been shot through the face in Christchurch. No awards were made in 2012 as the evaluation panel did not feel any nominated acts met the standard of extraordinary bravery required. In 2013, Senior Constable Bryan Farquharson and Constable Paul Bailey received an award for leaping without hesitation into dangerous surf at Napier to save the life of a 12 year old boy. Last year, in 2014, Senior Constable Deane O'Connor received an award for leaping from a bridge, at nightfall, into the dark waters of Tauranga harbour to rescue a crash survivor.

The recipients of the Bravery Awards were selected by a panel comprising Police Association President Greg O’Connor, Vice–President Craig Tickelpenny, Police Acting Deputy Commissioner, District Operations Grant Nicholls, Dame Margaret Bazley, and Sir Brian Lochore.

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