They acted beyond the standard normally expected of police officers.
New Westminster constables Cliff Kusch, Nick Ferguson, Ryan Long and Darryl Pakosh were recently awarded the Meritorious Service Award.
At the annual Police Honours Night in Victoria on Nov. 21, the four New Westminster Police Department constables received the awards from the Ministry of Justice.
On Sept. 28, 2011, Pakosh, Ferguson and Kusch responded to a report of a woman wielding a knife in an apartment building. The woman was allegedly chasing the building manager and when police arrived she refused to drop the two knives in her possession.
In an attempt to subdue the woman, Pakosh and Ferguson fired Tasers but they were ineffective and the woman responded by throwing one of the knives at the officers, stated a police department media release.
Kusch took this opportunity to fire several non-lethal rounds at the woman and managed to knock out the remaining gun from her hand. She was then apprehended and taken into custody without serious injury to herself or the officers - earning the constables each a Meritorious Service Award.
Const. Long earned his award during an incident on March 15 of this year when he was called to the Queensborough Bridge after reports of a suicidal man. When Long arrived on the scene, the man was standing in a "precarious position," which was made more dangerous because of bad weather.
When Long approached the scene the man slipped and almost fell from the bridge, but Long managed to grab a hold of the man. He pulled him back onto the bridge, saving his life, stated the release.
Police Chief Const. Dave Jones said he was extremely proud of the bravery demonstrated by all four officers.
"Their selfless actions highlight our commitment to providing the highest level of policing service to the citizens of New Westminster and the general public we serve every day," he said in the release.
The New Westminster constables were among 82 police officers from across the province who received an award on Nov. 21. Of the 82 honourees, 38 received the award of valour and 44 received an award for meritorious service.
Past honourees from New Westminster include constables Gerald Lau, George Charpentier and K. Bruce Ballingall. For a complete list of the 2013 recipients visit http://www.newsroom.gov.bc.ca/2013/11/awards-honour-bc-police-for-valour-meritorious-service.html.
