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A SERIES of new awards were presented at yesterday’s Mid North Coast Police Local Area Command awards ceremony
The Rotary Club of Port Macquarie West agreed to sponsor the inaugural police officer of the year awards.
Awards were initially proposed in two categories: the community nominated officer; and peer nominated officer of the year.
The community nominated officer of the year was Senior Constable Jason Bentley from the Mid-North Coast crash investigation unit.
Community nominations referred to Senior Constable Bentley’s diligence, compassion and meticulous attention to detail.
Mention was also made of Senior Constable Bentley’s role as the driving force behind the successful Power of Choice safe driver programs, which have been run in every Hastings high school for the past eight years.
In addition, Senior Constable Bentley is a long-standing volunteer with the Saints Netball Club, where his assistance and diplomacy have been relied upon numerous times.
Honoured: Senior Constable Scott McKenzie
The peer nominated officer of the year was Senior Constable Christopher Rowley from Laurieton Police.
Senior Constable Rowley was earlier awarded a Northern Region Certificate of Merit, for his work in 2009, when responding to a stabbing incident in Wauchope.
During the floods in the area in February this year he saved the lives of three elderly people stranded in a vehicle on a bridge.
The fast-flowing floodwaters were up to the door handles of the vehicle and threatened to sweep the car away.
Senior Constable Rowley drove the police vehicle into the floodwaters, putting himself at risk, to push the stranded vehicle back across the bridge.
The Chairman of the Rotary Police Officer of the Year Awards committee, Mr Barry Hacker, observed that another officer had been nominated for both awards on numerous occasions.
Rotary kindly offered an additional award, titled the Community Service Award.
The award was presented to Detective Senior Constable Dean Rutledge.
Detective Senior Constable Rutledge is a greatly admired and respected officer.
His professionalism and dedication to duty has been distinguished through more than 30 years of service.
The past two decades have been served at Kempsey Police Station.