Honesty pays off for Whanganui 12-year-old

A half-day ride-along and a chance to take part in some dog handler training exercises was an unexpected reward for 12-year-old Matthew Marsh after he handed a lost wallet containing  $500 into Whanganui Police Station.

Matthew found the wallet on the city’s Bell Street earlier this year and promptly handed it in to the station.

Sergeant Drew Allison was so impressed with the 12-year-old’s honest deed, he organised the ride-along with dog handlers Senior Constable Jason Page and Constable Shane Chambers and their dogs Farris and Bax.

Matthew got to play the “bad guy” on some search and tracking exercises, hiding from the dogs in bushes and in a cupboard at Jubilee Hospital. 

After reading an article about Matthew’s ride-along in the Chronicle, a local woman (who wishes to remain anonymous) came to Whanganui Police Station and wrote Matthew a $500 cheque for his honesty.

Matthew, whose sights are set on a career with Police, is even keener than before to enter the service.