POLICE officers who led investigations into serious crimes like drug trafficking, burglary and attempted murder were among those recognised at a vocational awards dinner.
Detective Senior Constables Darren Cleary and Paul Dunne from Cleveland criminal investigation branch were named Police Officers of the Year at the Capalaba Rotary Club's Vocational Service Awards on Monday.
Detective Inspector Owen Elloy said their hard work over 18 months had led to the arrest of six drug traffickers on 39 charges.
Senior Constable Dunne said the dedication of a large team and cutting-edge technology had helped the pair.
Sergeant Jai Taylor from the Dunwich police station received the Outstanding Police Action award.
In November 2018, Sergeant Taylor received an urgent call about a serious domestic dispute. Working alone, he responded immediately and found the house tightly locked. He could hear a woman yelling and screaming inside.
After unsuccessfully trying to get in and communicate through the locked door, Sergeant Taylor radioed for urgent help.
Fearing for the woman's safety, he kicked in the door. It was later discovered that the man had put three drill bits between the door and the door frame in an attempt to stop people getting in and out of the home.
After entering the house, Sergeant Taylor freed the woman and arrested the man, who was charged with rape, torture and deprivation of liberty.
Inspector Lindsay Kilpatrick said Sergeant Taylor had shown dedication to the job by entering an unknown and high-threat situation.
"His swift and decisive actions stopped the offences from continuing and his intervention minimised the impact of the attack and injuries sustained by the victim," he said.
Senior Constable Vrinda McCauley of Capalaba Police Beat won the Community Police Award.
Senior Constable McCauley is a driving force behind initiatives like Cops Care Teddies, Youth Day Out and Operation Step Up, which targets youth and offences on public transport.
She helps to identify community issues and prevent crime by engaging with young and vulnerable people and works to strengthen relationships between police and the community.
Other vocational awards
OUTSTANDING local businesses and employees were also recognised at the awards night.
Mark Hibbert, an apprentice motor mechanic at Redlands Mazda in Capalaba, won the Phil Boron Award for apprentices and trainees.
Mr Hibbert began his apprenticeship after about two decades as a butcher.
Winning the Stan Green Award for Sales and Customer Service was Capalaba Police Beat's Pauline Dunn, who organises engagement events like hospital visits and Coffee with a Cop.
"When we do a job well, I think that that stands for a lot," she said.
Robert Fogarty from Movement 4 Health and JMZ Roof Restoration's John Zorbas were dual winners of the Rotary Pride in the Workplace Award for best business practices.
In a few years in business, Mr Fogarty has seen Movement 4 Health's client base grow six-fold and logged more than 4000 hours of health-related gym activities.
JMZ Roof Restorations, established in 1992, now has 35 employees. Rotary past president David Field said Mr Zorbas was renowned for outstanding customer service.
Merlo Victoria Point manager Ashleigh Moran, together with founder Dean Merlo, accepted a highly commended award in the best business practices category.
Vocational award nominees
Other nominees in the apprentice and trainee category were:
- Harrison Day: Apprentice small engine mechanic, Victoria Point Mower Centre
- Nichlaas Hoovield: Apprentice plumber, Australian Industry Trade College
- Josh Scott-Hunter: Apprentice plumber, Australian Industry Trade College
- Michael Ewart: Apprentice carpenter, Australian Industry Trade College
Other nominees in the sales and customer service category were:
- Ashleigh Moran: Manager, Merlo Victoria Point
- William Murrow: Sales representative, JMZ Roof Restoration
- Nathan Cazzalotto: JMZ Roof Restoration
- Amandeep Kaur: Tanja's Cafe and Restaurant
- Alanna Briel: Beauty therapist, Gloss Skin and Beauty
- Aaron Byrne: Tradesman, Heel and Sole Man
- David Scott: Mister Minit
Other nominees in the best business practices category were:
- Mick and Melinda Thompson: Men at Work Exhausts
- Darrin Carter: Heel and Sole Man
- David Scott: Mister Minit
- Alanna Briel: Gloss Skin and Beauty
Police nominees
- Plain Clothes Senior Constable Samantha Barker and Detective Senior Constable Matthew Wickson from the Cleveland Criminal Investigation Branch received a dual nomination for their work leading to the arrest of a woman alleged to have been dealing drugs for 20 years. The pair's work during Operation Bravo led to 60 offenders being arrested on more than 1200 charges, including 13 charges of drug trafficking - a life imprisonment offence.
- Detective Senior Constable Thomas Buckman from the Wynnum Criminal Investigation Branch arrested 146 offenders on more than 700 charges mainly related to break and enters during the four-month period in which he led the property crime team.
- Plain Clothes Senior Constable Peter Wagels from the Wynnum Child Protection and Investigation Unit co-ordinated two significant investigations, including one into serious personal violence on North Stradbroke Island. Senior Constable Wagels helped secure evidence to charge a person with attempted murder, deprivation of liberty, burglary and other assault.
- Acting Sergeant Brendon Winslow from the Bayside Crime Prevention Unit co-ordinates 21 volunteers in policing between the ages of 21 and 73. He also runs a local PCYC. Inspector Elloy said Acting Sergeant Winslow was fully committed to all of his responsibilities, which also include general policing matters and community presentations, attendance at events and dealing with victims of crime, including domestic violence.
- Senior Constable Eddie Hogan-Smith from Russell Island Police Station has worked on the island for more than seven years. Inspector Kilpatrick said Russell Island officers often worked alone and were required to deal with dangerous situations, some involving domestic violence and drug-affected people. Inspector Kilpatrick commended Senior Constable Hogan-Smith for his dedication to the job and self-sufficiency, which was vital for officers on the isolated bay islands.
- Senior Constable Karen Parker from Wynnum Police Station is a peer support officer and assists her colleagues experiencing personal and work-related struggles, including those who have suffered trauma. Inspector Kilpatrick commended Senior Constable Parker for her empathy and compassion.
- Constable David Teunis from Capalaba Police Station has been the driving force behind a police homeless strategy for 18 months. He noticed that the Redlands' homeless population had limited support services, making them extremely vulnerable. He sourced care packages from Capalaba Community Centre to supply homeless people with important resources and conducted meaningful research into what services they required. He also helped to provide physical fitness and team-building programs for at-risk or vulnerable school children through Blue Edge.
