THE PRO PATRIA PROJECT

TEMPLETON David

Sergeant New Zealand Police

CITATION

New Zealand Bravery Decoration

Special Honours List - 14 October 2006

On 21 January 2003, following a bizarre mutilation of two women in the Thames area, the offender fled to South Auckland. Once there, he shot and killed a man outside a cinema and restaurant complex, then left the scene in a motor vehicle. Sergeant Templeton, then Senior Constable, was on duty with his police dog nearby and came across the offender fleeing the scene. He reported the car and the circumstances to the Police Communications Centre, advising that he was pursuing the offender’s car. When the offender realised that he was being pursued, he fired a number of shots from a semi-automatic weapon directly at Senior Constable Templeton and his vehicle, and several bullets hit the vehicle. Initially Senior Constable Templeton did not realise that he was being shot at, but once he did, he withdrew to what he considered to be a safe distance, while still reporting the offender’s movements. Shortly afterwards, the offender slowed down and focused the laser telescopic sights of his firearm at Senior Constable Templeton’s head and face and again fired shots at him. Fortunately none of the shots hit the officer. By this time, other police were involved in the pursuit of the offender, who then fled a short distance before breaking into a house nearby and taking two adults hostage for a number of hours before surrendering to the Armed Offenders Squad and Hostage Negotiation Team.

An investigation of the incident has since determined that Senior Constable Templeton was shot at on four separate occasions and that one of the bullets had hit his vehicle on the sill below the driver’s door, very close to where he had been sitting.

Senior Constable Templeton has also displayed bravery on other occasions.

KNOWN AWARDS

New Zealand Bravery Decoration

NOTES

Born

Died