Bravery award for dog handler

ROSS BROWN

PLUCKY TEAM: James Muir and police dog Neo with the Charles Upham Award for Bravery presented to Mr Muir in Tauranga yesterday.

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A police dog handler who helped arrest two armed youths had no time to hesitate when one of the youths pointed a high-powered rifle at him and his colleague.

Constable James Muir, of Tauranga, was honoured yesterday with the Charles Upham Award for Bravery at a police ceremony in the city. The award, a bronze statue of double Victoria Cross recipient Charles Upham, from the Charles Upham Trust was a huge honour, he said.

Mr Muir was with colleague Riki Valentine when they were shot at during a 100-kilometre high-speed car chase of two 14-year-old boys from Whakatane to Mt Maunganui in 2007.

The boys had earlier escaped from a Child, Youth and Family bush camp near Ruatoki, east of Whakatane, and had stolen firearms and a Ford Falcon car from a farmhouse.

They refused to give themselves up despite road spikes puncturing the car's tyres, and fired three shots at pursuing police officers before they were stopped at Mt Maunganui.

As the officers went to arrest them, one of the boys pointed the rifle at Mr Valentine and Mr Muir.

The rifle failed to fire and Mr Muir was able to unleash his four-year-old police dog Neo to apprehend the boy.

The boys were later found not guilty of attempted murder but guilty of aggravated burglary, discharging a rifle at police and other unrelated charges.

Mr Muir gave evidence at the court case that he had heard the rifle trigger click, but the rifle did not fire.

He said yesterday he had little recollection of having the gun pointed at him and his reaction.

"It was just a split second thing ... [but] part of our training is about dealing with what comes up at the moment.

"As a dog handler it's what we do every weekend when we are called out to apprehend offenders."

Mr Muir is only the sixth police officer to receive the Charles Upham bravery award, which has been presented to 23 people since 1976.

He had previously been honoured with the Police Commissioner's Gold Merit Award for Bravery for the same incident.

Charles Upham's daughter, Virginia McKenzie, was present at yesterday's awards ceremony. Police Minister Judith Collins presented the award to Mr Muir.

Acting Police Commissioner Rob Pope said Mr Muir's actions in facing the boy, who had already fired the rifle, were "truly heroic".

"His clear thinking and coolness under pressure saved the life of his colleague."

Mr Valentine did not receive an award as the act of bravery was recognised as being Mr Muir's intervention to use his police dog to help arrest the boys.

- © Fairfax NZ News