THE PRO PATRIA PROJECT

PARK, Jeanette Ruth

Sergeant, New Zealand Police, of Marton

CITATION

The New Zealand Bravery Star

Special Honours List 29 January 2005

At about 1.00 p.m.on 5 July 2002, Detective Jeanette Park and Detective Constable Duncan Taylor went to an address in Taipo Road, Rongotea to warn a local family that a person known to them, and who was the subject of a Domestic Protection Order in respect of a family member, may have returned to the area. While talking to the family they saw the person drive past the house. The two officers, who were unarmed, pursued his vehicle which stopped, but when they got out of their vehicle the other person drove off and returned to the Taipo Road address. Both vehicles stopped in the driveway of the house. As the two Police officers left their car the male occupant of the other presented a rifle at Detective Constable Taylor and without warning, fired a single shot which killed him instantly. Detective Park considered going to the aid of her colleague but saw the offender point the rifle at her. He fired a shot, which missed. He then fired another shot, hitting her in the buttock and inflicting a serious wound. Nevertheless, she was able to jump the cattle stop at the end of the driveway as the offender fired a fourth shot. Believing she was being hunted by the offender and knowing she had to get help; Detective Park used cover to go some 500 metres over farmland to a farm-house. She alerted the occupant to the danger and reported the situation to Police Operations. She then began taking the occupant to a place of safety but saw that another Police car had arrived and was parked too close to the house where the shooting had taken place. Detective Park made her way up a ditch to the patrol car to warn the officers to move to a place of safety. By this time the pain from her wound was severe and she could no longer stand. She crawled along the roadside and warned another officer of the danger. Detective Park was then evacuated to hospital to have her wound treated.

The family were eventually rescued unharmed and the offender arrested. The actions of the two officers had given the family time to barricade themselves in a room from which they eventually made their escape unharmed.

KNOWN AWARDS

The New Zealand Bravery Star

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