At the 39th annual Police Honours Night at Government House, 154 people in law enforcement were recognized for their bravery and dedication, including two officers from the Columbia Valley and Golden.

Janet Austin, lieutenant governor of B.C., and Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General,  presented awards to officers of all ranks from municipal departments and the RCMP for their extraordinary bravery in life-saving incidents, devotion above and beyond the call of duty, and work to make communities safer in British Columbia.

“Day in and day out, police officers work hard throughout British Columbia to keep our communities, homes and roads safe by preventing crime and responding to a variety of calls for service,” said Farnworth.

“Over the past two nights, we recognized the brave people serving in police departments throughout our province. Policing is a difficult job, and the pandemic spawned a whole new set of challenges. I want to thank our officers for putting their lives on the line for the safety and security of our communities.”

“Every person we’ve honoured over the past two nights has demonstrated extraordinary bravery, quick thinking and initiative in different and unpredictable situations,” said Austin. “It was an honour to hear the stories of these brave men and women, who put themselves in jeopardy to ensure the rest of us can live in peace and safety. We thank them for their service and acknowledge all who support them to do such impactful work for the province.”

In all, 45 officers received the award of valour, which is the highest award for a police officer in B.C. It is awarded to police officers who acted for the benefit of others while knowingly placing themselves at substantial risk of death or serious injury. These officers exhibited exceptional courage, regardless of personal safety, to attempt to save or protect others from harm.

Among this year’s award of valour recipients:

Cst. Andrew Henneberry (pictured above) with Columbia Valley RCMP Detachment, who rescued a paddle boarder in distress from the Columbia River.

And from Golden RCMP Detachment, Cst. Collin Kavanagh who saved a suicidal man from jumping off a bridge.

In addition, 109 officers were recognized with honours for meritorious service for exemplary performance that answered the call to service in exceptional ways. It is awarded to police officers who demonstrated that they acted in a manner beyond the call of duty.

This was the first Police Honours Night event held since 2019 due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Police Honours Night recognizes members of independent municipal police forces, the RCMP, First Nations, Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit and transit police services who have acted in an exemplary manner.

More than 9,000 members of these services deliver policing throughout B.C.

Representatives from the BC Association of Chiefs of Police, the Association of Municipal Chiefs of Police of British Columbia, the RCMP and the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General’s policing and security branch comprise a committee that selected the recipients.

Columbia Valley RCMP file photo

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