Gore policeman's efforts recognised

Monday, 4 June 2012

Senior Sergeant Richard McPhail has added several acronyms to his CV during his career, and today he can add one more – QSM.

The Gore area controller has been awarded the Queen's Service Medal for services to the police and the community.

He never expected to receive an honour like this, and it was an absolute privilege to be honoured and receive the acknowledgement for his work, Mr McPhail said.

Last year Mr McPhail was deployed to Christchurch after the February 22 earthquake and was commander of the mortuary, overseeing disaster victim identification (DVI) teams from around the world.

In 2009 he led a New Zealand DVI team to Victoria, Australia, after the 'Black Saturday' bushfires that killed 173 people, and was part of a New Zealand police team in Thailand after the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, which killed more than 200,000 people in 13 countries.

He has also been involved in a number of significant search and rescue and DVI operations in Southland.

The QSM citation says Mr McPhail has 'demonstrated his high standards of leadership, composure and professionalism in very difficult circumstances at both the national and international level'.

During his 26 years in the police Mr McPhail has worked in the CIB, and was appointed officer in charge of the Southland Police Search and Rescue Squad in 1999.

'Obviously the work I have done with SAR through the years I have been working with volunteers … and with the DVI work I have been working with a lot of very talented and special people who are pretty passionate about what they do,' he said.

'Between SAR, CIB and DVI work the people I have met and teamed with … have taught me some great skills, which I can pass on now, and enable me to work to the level I work at.'