Manuel Freitas was given the commendation at an awards ceremony on Friday lunchtime.
Four police officers also received recognition of their work in the force over the past year.The ceremony was held in the Henry Le Brocq Hall at Police Headquarters and Chief Officer Graham Power said that the awards were a way of showing appreciation to officers and members of the community.Talking about the incident that led to Mr Freitas being given his award, Mr Power said: ‘It is highly likely that someone would have suffered a serious injury if Manuel had not acted so swiftly in the way he did.’It is perhaps not always a recommended course of action, but it is rare and courageous for someone with no special training to bravely try to help in a dangerous situation.
For this bravery and commitment in tackling and disarming an unknown man, Manuel certainly deserves the Commendation for Bravery.’Det sgt Keith Bray, who conducted the inquiry into three drug related deaths earlier this year, received the Chief Officer’s Commendation at the presentation.It is the highest formal force award, and he was nominated for it by Deputy Viscount Peter de Gruchy, who said that the detective’s work had been outstanding.
‘I have not encountered finer police work in any of my cases,’ he said.Det sgt Bray and Insp Bob Bonney were also presented with certificates of appreciation for their work as the senior investigating officers in charge of a manslaughter inquiry.Pc Ian Vieira and Insp Richard Brée were also given certificates of appreciation – Pc Vieira for helping to save a woman’s life and Mr Brée for his work training the whole force in new police procedures and criminal evidence.Mr Power said: ‘The awards that we presented were just an extra way of showing the huge value and appreciation we have for the work that often goes on behind the scenes by officers who continue to go beyond the call of duty to meet the needs of the community.’
