KEY POINTS:
As Christchurch policeman Al Stewart struggled to defuse a tense hostage crisis, hundreds of angry refugees were gathering around him with guns, machetes and spears in hand.
He was painfully aware that things could suddenly turn nasty for him and his heavily outnumbered team in the East Timorese
refugee camp.
Aside from an interpreter, the senior sergeant had only a "cover man" with him to keep an eye on the aggressive camp residents who had taken United Nations staff hostage over delays in food getting to them.
"As you can imagine, in a camp with 7000 people, if tensions are going to rise, things can happen very quickly. You need someone there to give you the heads up," Mr Stewart told the Weekend Herald.
"There were a couple of times where things weren't going their way and we just had to be firm with them, and kind of work our way through it."
As it turned out, Mr Stewart was able to talk it through, and give the villagers an "avenue for their grievances", and the hostages were freed.
His actions have resulted in the Queen awarding him the New Zealand Bravery Medal for his courage and professionalism that saved the hostages from "further injury or even death".
Mr Stewart was among a contingent of New Zealand police serving on a UN mission to Timor when he was called on to go the Metanaro Refugee Camp on November 10, 2006.
Looking back now, he realises anything could have happened amid the hundreds of frustrated refugees and hardened gang members.
If they had been attacked, Mr Stewart said simply he would have used "minimal but escalating force, as and when required".
"There were naturally concerns. I guess more so for the safety of the people they were holding, and for the safety of the staff I was taking in."
Mr Stewart's concerns were borne out the day after when a UN patrol vehicle was attacked at the camp with rocks and "a machete through the back window".
"I'm rapt with the recognition," Mr Stewart said. "I guess more importantly, I'm proud to accept it on behalf of all the guys that were over there."
BRAVERY DEFINED
New Zealand Bravery Star
Second only to the New Zealand Cross, the Star is awarded "for acts of outstanding bravery in situations of danger".
New Zealand Bravery Decoration
The third highest honour, it is awarded "for acts of exceptional bravery in situations of danger".
New Zealand Bravery Medal
Awarded "for acts of bravery".
Pair faced gun but didn't back down
Constable Karl Pennington looked down the barrel of the cut-down AK47 pointed at him and heard it go "click".
For some reason, it failed to fire.
"I couldn't honestly tell you why it didn't go bang, but I was pretty sure he was trying to kill me," said Mr Pennington. "I'm just very lucky it didn't."
Mr Pennington and Constable Robert Gibson had driven into St Lukes carpark chasing Leonard Archer Hall. They were unaware Hall was armed until he appeared just in front of them pointing the gun.
"I looked up and there's a guy pulling a trigger - I heard it go click but it didn't go bang."
Hall approached the car still aiming the gun at Mr Pennington and once he managed to chamber a round, fired it into the roof of the carpark.
Mr Gibson dived out of the car while Mr Pennington kept his composure to call police control.
Realising the officers were lying on the ground, Hall then fired several shots into a rear door, with one passing close to Mr Gibson's head.
Hall had twice tried to hijack cars before the officers arrived, and ran off and attempted to hijack two more.
Believing that members of the public were in danger, Mr Pennington stepped out from cover to divert Hall's attention. Realising the officers were alive Hall ran back in firing at them.
They ran up a ramp and warned people to keep out of the area.
Hall finally hijacked a vehicle and drove off, firing three more times at police until his apprehension.
The Queen awarded Constables Pennington and Gibson the New Zealand Bravery Decoration for "great bravery in confronting an armed offender intent on killing them" during the June 2005 incident, working as a team to keep the public safe, and keeping police support informed to facilitate Hall's arrest.
COP IN SMASH AND GRAB
Senior Constable Roger Bright says he is a policeman, not a scientist.
So he didn't give any thought to sparks when he used an axe to smash a glass door to get into a house full of gas to save a man's life.
"Not being a scientist, I wasn't sure if metal on glass caused a spark. Luckily for the both of us it didn't."
One of Great Barrier Island's two police officers, Mr Bright was called out to the man's house by a friend and found the man slumped inside beside two 27kg gas bottles.
Believing the man dead, Mr Bright was figuring out how to make the house safe when he heard a cough.
He grabbed the axe, smashed his way in and dragged the unconscious solidly built 2m tall man to safety despite the fumes.
Mr Bright said if something had gone wrong "we wouldn't be having this conversation".
The Queen has awarded Mr Bright with the New Zealand Bravery Medal for his "quick thinking and bravery in order to save a life" following the early morning callout in January 2006.
Mr Bright said the rescue was "just another day at the office".
Mr Bright had seen the man again since saving his life, but he had never said 'thank you' or spoken of what happened.
- Patrick Gower
