Police Presentations of NZ Special Service Medal (Erebus) and Long Service and Good Conduct Medals, Certificates for Promotion

Friday 30 March 2007

Greetings.District Commander Sandra Manderson, distinguished guests, and those who are being honoured here this afternoon. It is a great pleasure for me to participate in this special ceremony which marks a significant event for each of you.

The New Zealand Special Service Medal (Erebus) was first awarded by the Prime Minister on the 27th anniversary of the Erebus crash.

The Erebus disaster was one of the most difficult of search and recovery operations you could be called on to do. The combination of difficult terrain and weather meant it was done under the most severe conditions.11 police were sent to the ice to recover the bodies of the 257 passengers and crew. I know how cold it is because I have visited Antarctica on two occasions – in the summer – and it’s cold!

The people who helped with the recovery of bodies included not only the police but climbers, dentists and an undertaker.All did their part.

Search and rescue personnel do a wonderful job in New Zealand which is a country made up of extreme and difficult terrain.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a burglary, an earthquake, a car accident, or a fire, police men and women are the front line people that deal with these situations, protect our citizens and bring order to chaos.

The Police perform a fine job in our city and the statistics prove it. The press doesn’t want to acknowledge it, but Christchurch has the lowest crime figures of the metropolitan cities.Overall crime in Canterbury dropped in 2005/06 by 2.5%. This is a good news story but unfortunately the actions of a few get all the publicity.

I’d like to take this occasion to thank Sandra Manderson and her team for their tremendous support for the various community projects underway to make ours a safer city. The community violence reduction project to get young people off the streets late at night in the inner city has been a huge success.

The awards today are a reflection of what is best in policing. Congratulations once again to those who are receiving their medals for long service, good conduct and the Erebus medal.