Police detective recognised for outstanding work

RECOGNISED: Detective Kathyrn Murphy has been award the Rotorua Rotary Club Police Person of the Year title.

Detective Kathyrn Murphy's compassion for crime victims is one of the reasons she's received an award recognising exceptional work in the police force.

She was recently named the Rotorua Rotary Club Police Person of the Year, an award presented annually to recognise consistent, outstanding service to the community and working above and beyond the expected standard.

She was nominated and then considered by a panel which included the Rotorua mayor and the president of the Rotorua Rotary club.

Rotorua police area commander Inspector Bruce Horne said Ms Murphy was an experienced police officer who had consistently shown an outstanding level of commitment to meeting the needs of victims.

Earlier this year she took on the responsibility of co-ordinating the preparation of all victim support plans for the Rotorua CIB, a role she excelled at, he said.

"Many of the victims she has supported in the last year or so have come from the most marginalised groups in our community and have required a very high level of support.
Detective Murphy has shown quite extraordinary levels of patience, tenacity and compassion in caring for these people," he said.

One of the victims Ms Murphy supported recently wrote to Mr Horne, expressing her gratitude.

"Over the last year, Detective Murphy's support has been exceptional. She has been our one constant source of assurance through this very difficult time. She was extremely thorough in her investigation ... always maintaining a combination of sharp professionalism and compassion when dealing with all of us," the victim wrote.

"Detective Murphy and the Rotorua police have given us faith in the New Zealand justice system, something we did not have before ... We are truly blessed to have come from a district where the police force is so compassionate and understanding to victims like ourselves and their families."

Ms Murphy said the award was a surprise and an honour.

"I'd like to acknowledge the support of my family and the people I work with every day. The professionalism and approachability of my work colleagues is fantastic."

Ms Murphy has been with Rotorua police for about 14 years. She said she couldn't imagine doing anything else.

"I love my job, there's such variety to the role. Every day you're dealing with something different and you have a chance to make a difference to people's lives."