Source: New Zealand Police
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers says he is proud of the courage shown by five serving police staff recognised as recipients of the New Zealand Bravery Awards today.
The NZ Bravery Awards recognise the actions of those who save or attempt to save the lives of others while putting their own life at risk.
Five staff were awarded the NZ Bravery Medal (NZBM) today.
They include Detective Sergeant Heath Jones for helping people from flood waters near Hastings during Cyclone Gabrielle. It is Detective Sergeant Jones’ second NZ Bravery Award.
Sergeant Harshad (Harry) Ghodke and Constable Alexander Kerr also received Bravery Awards for putting their own lives at risk to help rescue people from water.
Sergeant Richard Bracey and Constable Friederike (Fritzi) Faber dealt with a situation in which a man set fire to a garage while they were inside, saving the man and putting the fire out.
Commissioner Chambers says the five are worthy recipients of the awards.
“These officers did not hesitate before acting to help others in dangerous situations.
“We can all feel incredibly proud of them. They have highlighted the service police officers give to their communities, day in and day out, including when they are not on duty.
“It is very encouraging to see their courage and selflessness recognised at a high level and I thank them for the service they have done for others.
“These events often take a toll on those involved in them. I also acknowledge the bravery and actions of others – both police officers and members of the public – who assisted in responding to some of these events and thank them for it.”
The New Zealand Bravery Medal – NZBM
- Sergeant Richard Bracey and Constable Friederike (Fritzi) Faber
Sergeant Bracey and Constable Faber were responding to a family harm incident in Clover Park, Auckland on 14 July 2024 when a man at the address doused the garage floor in petrol and set it alight, with himself and the officers inside.
The fire covered three quarters of the garage, with flames at waist height setting Sergeant Bracey’s boots on fire.
Two colleagues outside the garage were able to break a glass door and pull the man out while Sergeant Bracey, fearing the burning petrol cannister would explode, picked it up and threw it out onto a grassed area.
Constable Faber grabbed blankets from the house to help smother the flames.
As the blankets also caught fire and the garage filled with toxic black smoke, Sergeant Bracey and Constable Faber continued suppressing the fire with containers of water from the laundry tub.
Both were treated for mild smoke inhalation.
- Sergeant Harshad (Harry) Ghodke
Sergeant Ghodke was off-duty with his family on 19 January 2023 when a young boy playing in the Rees River was pulled by the current towards Lake Wakatipu.
Sergeant Ghodke removed some of his clothing and entered the water to reach the panicked boy, who had gone underwater.
The boy climbed on top of Sergeant Ghodke, making it difficult for him to keep his head above water.
Remaining calm but battling to stay afloat in the strong undertow, Sergeant Ghodke reassured the boy and told him to float on his back while Sergeant Ghodke swam back to shore, against the current, in search of more help.
Back on shore and exhausted, he spoke to a woman passing by and she swam out to the boy and successfully pulled him ashore.
Sergeant Ghodke had been able to calm the boy, enabling him to stay afloat long enough for the rescue.
Sadly, another man who had also tried to help save the boy drowned and his body was recovered the following day.
* Sergeant Ghodke and Susan Burke, the woman who swam out to save the child, have acknowledged the courage shown by that man in a joint statement.
- Detective Sergeant Heath Jones, NZBD
On 14 February 2023, as Cyclone Gabrielle caused widespread devastation in Eastern District, Detective Sergeant Jones repeatedly entered rapidly rising flood waters to assist others.
In the Pakowhai area near Hastings, he climbed a submerged fence to reach a fellow officer stranded on the roof of a shed with her 4-year-old son and baby.
Working with a colleague, Detective Sergeant Jones helped the family down and guided them safely through the floodwaters.
Later, at Chesterhope Bridge, he swam to an older couple trapped by the rising water. The woman was a poor swimmer, and the man could not swim at all.
Detective Sergeant Jones stayed with the woman while his colleague swam the man to the riverbank. When his colleague returned, the pair wrapped their arms around the woman and carried her through the strong current to safety.
The area was later confirmed to be completely flooded, with homes fully submerged.
* In 2011, Detective Sergeant Jones was awarded the NZ Bravery Decoration for his actions in the Napier siege of 2009 during which Senior Constable Len Snee was killed and senior constables Grant Diver and Bruce Miller were wounded.
- Constable Alexander Kerr
Constable Kerr (Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Mutunga) responded to reports of a woman in distress in the Waikato River about 5am on 24 January 2025.
Locating her in the darkness with his torch, he saw she was unable to swim and was being dragged under by the current.
Removing his police vest, Constable Kerr entered the river, but the weight of his waterlogged uniform made resurfacing difficult.
By the time he did, the woman had been swept to the opposite bank.
Undeterred, Constable Kerr returned to shore, removed his boots, belt, and shirt, and waded 50 metres through mud flats before re-entering the current.
In near-total darkness, he reached a man who had jumped in to help and was struggling to keep the woman afloat.
Constable Kerr pulled the man above water and helped the woman, who was unable to swim, back to the riverbank for medical treatment.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre
