A father and daughter, both RCMP officers working on Vancouver Island, are among more than 100 police officers recognized for their bravery and dedication at the 37th annual Police Honours Night on Thursday.
Const. Cydney MacNeill with Nananimo RCMP and her colleagues Const. Kayle Ramsay and Const. Linsey Warren received the Award of Valour during a ceremony at Government House in Victoria.
They were recognized for entering a burning building to evacuate residents in January of 2017.
“We went in because we knew all the residents were sleeping, so some people were not answering their doors,” Const MacNeill said.
“We kicked some doors in, we found a resident who was unable to move without the assistance of a walker, we carried him out of the building.”
All three officers were treated for smoke inhalation after responding to the fire at the Willow Grove Estates on 6th Street in Nanaimo.
Her proud father was also on-hand for Police Honours Night, there to receive an Award of Valour of his own.
After a 37-year career, Jack MacNeill now serves as a Reserve Constable with North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP.
In December of 2016, he also went into a burning building to search for a missing resident it was feared was suicidal.
The person had left the building earlier, but MacNeill and another unnamed officer were recognized for their actions.
MacNeill says that it is not quite the proudest moment of his career.
“The highlight of my career was presenting the badge to my daughter when she graduated from the depot training academy in Regina,” he said.
Other Vancouver Island police officers recognized on Thursday include Sgt. Andrew Duke of Central Saanich Police and Victoria Police Const. Shaun Juby
Ben O'Hara
