Around 50 awards were bestowed upon current, former and newly recruited officers, including a number of medals celebrating 10, 15, 20 and 25 years of service.

Assistant Commissioner for Southern Region Rod Smith was at hand to present the awards and medals alongside Cootamundra LAC Superintendent Chris Schilt, state MPs Katrina Hodgkinson and Daryl Maguire and aboriginal elder representative Peter Beath.

Speaking during the ceremony, Ms Hodgkinson commended the “extraordinary” efforts of local authorities in keeping Cootamundra’s crime rates stable. 

“These are people who have undertaken extraordinary acts of bravery … and sometimes you must wonder whether (they) will come back at the end of a shift,” she said

“Please be encouraged to keep up your incredible work.”

Assistant Commissioner Smith paid tribute to the humble array of award recipients, saying it was not in a police officer’s nature to wish for public accolades.

“You’d notice that all the officers today are sitting up the back … they probably would have preferred to get their awards in their pigeon holes,” he joked.

“It’s because police … just go about their job and don’t expect to get a lot of praise for what they do.”

“But these medals today are significant.”