Recognition for the exemplary work of some of the members of the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP detachment has come not just from the RCMP management teams but from the provincial government as well.
Recently, at the 37th annual Police Honours Night at Government House, 106 deserving women and men of law enforcement were recognized for their bravery and dedication — including (four past and present) members from North Cowichan/Duncan.
Two members, R/Const. Jack MacNeill, and another officer whose name has been withheld by the province, received Awards of Valor for entering a burning home, despite thick smoke and limited visibility, to search for a missing resident.
In their own awards notice, Const. Platt had been named by the RCMP as the officer who entered the building with MacNeill.
Awards of valour are the highest honour given to a police officer in British Columbia. To earn one an officer must be involved in an act of “exceptional valor in the face of extreme hazard”.
At the same awards ceremony, MacNeill’s daughter Cydney MacNeill received an Award of Valor for her work based out of the Nanaimo RCMP detachment. She too entered a burning building to search for and evacuate residents.
Back to North Cowichan/Duncan officers, Const. Todd Bozak earned an Award of Meritorious Service for saving a distraught male intent on taking his own life.
Another officer, whose name has also been withheld and has since transferred to another division, also earned an Award of Meritorious Service for safely apprehending a suicidal psychiatric patient armed with a knife.
“We rely on the officers we honour tonight to do the difficult and dangerous work of protecting all that we hold dear, often without expressing the gratitude and the respect they so deserve,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General.
Farnworth said the awards “allow us to recognize the officers who reach incredible lengths to fulfill their oaths to protect and serve their communities. On behalf of all British Columbians, we thank you for your bravery, courage and dedication to duty.”
sarah.simpson@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
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