Source: NZ Police Association
The New Zealand Police Association, Te Aka Hāpai, today awarded two officers with the association’s Bravery Award.
The awards are for performing their duty above and beyond reasonable expectations in saving lives during a family harm incident that quickly turned into a fight for survival inside a blazing, petrol-soaked garage in July last year.
Association president Chris Cahill says the recipients of today’s award exemplify the definition of bravery as they both made a deliberate choice to put another life ahead of their own.
“Police officers in New Zealand demonstrate bravery everyday they go to work, so the association is very honoured to be able acknowledge two officers who have taken that bravery to the highest level.
“We are all incredibly proud of them.”
The Rt Hon Winston Peters presented the awards at the association’s 90th annual conference in Wellington.
Citation: Rt Hon Winston Peters
Bravery Award recipients: Sergeant Richard BRACEY and Constable Friederike FABER
On July 12, 2024, Police responded to a family harm incident at a residential address in Counties Manukau. Among the first on scene was Constable Friederike Faber, who, after speaking with an elderly complainant, determined that a Police Safety Order needed to be served on a male occupant, requiring him to leave the home to ensure her safety.
But the situation escalated quickly.
The offender locked the doors and refused to comply. Sergeant Richard Bracey, nearby at the time, arrived to support the officers. When the offender was told he was under arrest, he barricaded himself inside.
Sergeant Bracey and Constable Faber removed their stab-resistant body armour and climbed through a rear bathroom window to gain entry, but the offender then fled into the garage.
As Sergeant Bracey entered the garage, the offender swung a fishing rod at his head, attempting to keep him at bay. The offender then grabbed a container of petrol and splashed the petrol around the garage.
Unbeknown to the two officers, the offender had already poured petrol around all the exits from the house and placed containers of petrol throughout the garage – a clear indication he was intending to burn the house to the ground.
Recognising the imminent danger, Sergeant Bracey tackled the offender and Constable Faber rushed in to assist. As they struggled to restrain him, the offender pulled out a cigarette lighter and began flicking it.
The petrol ignited.
Flames erupted around them all, and the officers expected the container to explode at any time.
Despite being surrounded by waist-high fire and with his boots ablaze, Sergeant Bracey refused to let go of the offender. He ordered Constable Faber to escape – but she stayed. She ran to grab blankets from inside the house, desperately trying to smother the flames.
As the fire intensified, other officers smashed through a glass door and charged through the flames to help drag the offender to safety. In a moment of quick thinking, Sergeant Bracey hurled the burning petrol container out of the garage before it could explode.
Even then, both Sergeant Bracey and Constable Faber chose not to retreat. Despite inhaling smoke and risking their lives to prevent the house from being consumed they stayed to fight the fire using blankets and water from a garage sink. Their actions were nothing short of extraordinary.
Their courage, composure, and selflessness under extreme pressure exemplify the highest standards of bravery. The bravery of other officers at the scene also played a vital role in saving the man’s life.
