Police bravery acknowledged

The Royal Humane Society Awards has recognised the acts of bravery of NZ police staff. Senior Constable Roger William Bright and Senior Constable Kylie Frances Robbins were awarded Bronze Medals for their actions on 18 January 2008 at Kaitoke Beach Great Barrier Island.

Senior Constables Roger Bright and Kylie Robbins, who were off duty, were camping with some friends and family.
As there was an extremely high spring tide running and the surf was particularly dangerous for swimming the group had decided to go for a walk along the beach.

Their party came upon three 11-year-old boys who had waded into waist-deep water and had been caught and carried into a rip and a hole which had formed.

One of the boys was able to get himself back to the beach but the steep beach and high tide and surf were preventing the other two from getting out of the water and they were being continually dragged back into the hole and carried further out.

Both constables dived into the water to go to their assistance. Senior Constable Robbins reached the first of them and despite being pounded by heavy waves she was able to keep her head above water and work her way back with him, to the shore and safety.

Senior Constable Bright reached the second boy who was further out and in most difficulty and held on to him despite the fact that they were both being pushed under and further out by the waves, at times being lost from sight from the shore. Eventually he was successful in reaching the shore with the boy in tow.

The actions of Senior Constables Roger Bright and Kylie Robbins had clearly prevented two probable fatalities.

The society also presented Certificates of Merit to Senior Sergeant Garth Stockley and Constable Jason John Page.

On the afternoon of Saturday 22 March 2008 at Piha Beach, three swimmers were swept by a strong current along the beach and into an area of very rough white water. The beach was not patrolled at that point. Conditions were very difficult and the surf huge.

Senior Sergeant Garth Stockley – who was off duty and had been body surfing – noticed what had happened and when, five minutes later, he saw one of the swimmers come ashore and run off down the beach and could see one other struggling with somebody in the huge surf, he realised that something was very wrong.

He ran 400 metres along the beach and found a teenager chest deep in the water struggling to hold on to another male and keep his head above water.

Senior Sergeant Stockley ran into the waves and found that the man being held was limp and unresponsive. From his appearance he feared the man was dead.

Taking hold of his arms, and with assistance from the teenager, he dragged the man towards the beach through surf that frequently knocked him and the teenager off their feet. On reaching the shallows he found that the victim’s pulse was weak, and his breathing very light and laboured.

Senior Sergeant Stockley commenced emergency first aid, which he continued until the arrival of lifeguards, an ambulance and a paramedic.

The patient was unconscious and in a critical condition. He was transported by helicopter to hospital, where he recovered.

By acting as he did in the difficult conditions, Senior Sergeant Stockley prevented a loss of life that day.

On 27 February 2008 at about 10.30pm a young man jumped from the Wanganui City Bridge. Constable Jason Page arrived on the scene and from the bridge endeavoured to direct the man in the water towards a support column which he would be able to hold onto. His advice was ignored.

When the current carried the man against the column he pushed himself back into deep water and was soon seen to be struggling to stay above the water, submerging for long periods of time, while drifting under the bridge.

Constable Page climbed down a five metre rock embankment to the water’s edge where he removed his uniform and began to swim in an arc to counteract the current.

His efforts to reach the man were made increasingly difficult by the large number of logs from up-river that had accumulated against the bridge supports. Despite the challenges encountered, he reached the fully dressed man whereupon his help was resisted.

Constable Page forced the man into a rescue position and then swam some 30 metres back to the water’s edge where he pulled him up on to the bank.

Constable Page was by this time extremely cold and exhausted, but administered first aid while at the same time directing the activities of other services that were assisting in the rescue effort to the scene. Restraints were required to counter the rescued man’s attempts to get back into the water.

There is little doubt that by his action, Constable Page had prevented a loss of life.