Posted on 01/08/2009 1:34:00 AM PST by naturalman1975
An heroic policeman has finally been given a Queen's Gallantry medal for bravery almost six years after being murdered by an al-Qaeda terrorist he was trying to arrest.
Det Con Stephen Oake, 40, was originally nominated for a George Cross in the immediate aftermath of the operation that cost him his life.
But members of a civil service committee decided that his actions in taking on the fleeing terrorist, Kamel Bourgass, did not meet the "extremely high" criteria for the award.
This was despite the Special Branch officer being unarmed at the time he sustained eight catastrophic knife wounds while trying to hold Bourgass back from his colleagues.
The decision dismayed DC Oake's then chief constable, Mike Todd, and provoked widespread anger among rank-and-file officers.
Some within Greater Manchester Police still regard it as "a disgrace" that the officer, who lived in Cheshire, was thought unworthy of the higher award.
However, they have decided not to voice their anger in public out of respect for DC Oake's widow, Lesley.
Mrs Oake, a mother-of-three, is currently on holiday. But she said in a statement: "This is great news. Both myself and the children, and indeed the wider family, are delighted to learn of the news that our much-loved Steve has been honoured in this way.
"Steve's actions on that fateful day in January 2003 were typical of a man who was committed to his job and to his colleagues. "We are extremely proud that his sacrificial act of bravery has resulted in this prestigious award."
She added: "We accept this award not only on behalf of Steve but in recognition too, of the bravery of the many officers that were involved on that day."
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
As somebody who was taught the criteria for recommending such decorations in case I ever saw anybody earn one, I’d have recommended Oakes for the GC. If this attack had just happened and he’d been killed protecting himself, then maybe not - but at the time he came on the scene, Bourgas had already seriously injured another police officer. Oakes knew that intervening carried the real risk of serious injury or death, and did it anyway. The GC is very rarely awarded, but this one seems to me to have warranted it.
Having said that the QGM is a significant honour. In US terms, the type of bravery the GC represents is on a par with the Medal of Honor. The QGM would be on a similar scale to a Silver Star.
> However, they have decided not to voice their anger in public out of respect for DC Oake’s widow, Lesley.
Nothing stops us from voicing anger, tho’. He deserved the George Cross and it is a dam’n disgrace that he didn’t get it. The pencil-pushing pencil-necks who decided that he shouldn’t are a disgrace and have probably never had to put their hands up in anger, far less defend themselves against a knife-wielding al Qaeda scroat. Shameful behavior.
A British detective who was killed while persuing a terrorism suspect has been awarded a George Cross by the queen for gallantry. The officer was originally denied the medal, sparking an outcry.
The Brits, Canadians and Aussie’s have always been stingy with medals, which in fact makes their awarding even more significant.
Canada has only recently introduced a medal for being wounded or killed in action, the ‘Sacrifice Medal’ (an equivalent to your purple heart). Prior to this year there was no medal for being killed or wounded.
Nobody thinks to ask...how TF is a “Detective” walking around unarmed?
Strange as it may seem, most British police officers don’t carry firearms. It’s a matter that has been discussed repeatedly over the years but the general belief is that routinely arming the police would lead to more criminals going armed as well, and statistically speaking, British police officers are far less likely to be killed in the line of duty than those in many other western countries, partly because of the relative rarity of confronting armed offenders.
There are officers who are specially trained as firearms officers of various types (Authorised Firearms Officers - or AFOs) and AFOs quite often go quite heavily armed (carrying HK MP5s). There are also Specialist Firearms Officers (SFOs) who fulfill a similar role to SWAT teams in the US.
ROTFLOL
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