A police officer will today receive a Commissioner’s Commendation for their courage and actions at a violent incident, while off duty, at Risdon Vale earlier this year, at a special ceremony in Hobart.

Constable Anna Seymour, of Glenorchy Police, will be presented with a Commissioner’s Commendation for her actions in Risdon Vale this year by disarming a violent offender and shielding the victim from further attack, while off duty.

First Class Constable Shane Tilley is also receiving a Commissioner’s Commendation for courage and professionalism at Cambridge in 2015, where he entered a burning caravan, despite a gas cylinder inside the van being on fire, and rescued the unconscious man inside.

Three other Southern District officers – retired Detective Inspector David Plumpton, Senior Constable Christine Rushton and First Class Constable Cary Millhouse – will receive Commissioner’s Commendations for their efforts into the successful five year long, cold case investigation of the 1969 disappearance of Lucille Butterworth.

Three Operations Support officers – Sgt Renee Stewart, Constable Glenn Reading and Constable Hayden Williams – will receive Commissioner’s Commendations for their involvement in the Radio Dispatch Services coordination of the Latrobe flood rescue attempts of an elderly couple whose house was becoming inundated with flood water.

Weather and flood conditions conspired against the helicopter rescue crew and it became apparent that the elderly woman was unlikely to be rescued. Despite this knowledge, the officers maintained professional and empathetic contact with the elderly man, providing him with advice and reassurance until rescuers were able to make physical contact with him.

Constable Tania Curtis is receiving a Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal for deployment and service in New Zealand after the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes. Constable Kyleigh Perkins is also receiving the Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal, as well as the National Emergency Medal for her work in the 2009 Victorian bushfires. Constable Simon Taylor, Sgt Stephen Watson, Constable Robin Wilson and Constable Deena White will also receive the National Emergency Medal for their work in the 2009 Victorian bushfires.

Senior Constable Colin Catto will be presented with a 40 year clasp for his service to Tasmania Police. Senior Constable Catto joined in February 1976, being amongst the first officers to be trained at the Police Academy at Rokeby.  Senior Constable Catto did the first ever video interview of an offender in Tasmania (along with former Detective Inspector David Plumpton) and was involved in the investigation that saw the first ever offender in Australia to be identified by DNA sampling, a massive scientific breakthrough in its time.

A total of 195 recipients will be presented with 245 awards at the Hobart medal presentations today.

This week 309 police officers and Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management employees will have been recognised by way of 389 awards and Commissioner’s Commendations, for their unique contribution to policing.

Included in those awards are 164 federally recognised medals for policing service, as well as 18 awards for national and international specialist deployments.

Police Commissioner Darren Hine paid tribute to the recipients, saying that the medals and awards were issued to members who have demonstrated a consistently high standard of work performance, along with demonstration of unequivocally high standards of personal and professional conduct.

“These awards are a chance for me to say thank you for the work that our police officers and State service employees do.  Without them, the Department would not be what it is today,” Mr Hine said.