With four generations of his family rubbing shoulders with friends and former colleagues, retired Senior Sergeant John Edmonds received his Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) from Commissioner Mike Bush.
John – who retired in September – served in Police for 40 years, 30 of which were dedicated to the Dog Section.
At presentation ceremony in Rotorua last week, Commissioner Bush said John’s career was the stuff of legend.
“It's an absolute privilege and honour for me to acknowledge someone like yourself who has done so much with your colleagues along the way,” he said.
Commissioner Bush told the ceremony John’s work had raised the profile and reputation of New Zealand Police’s Dog Section internationally.
“It's been a tremendous career,” said John. “This just really caps it off.”
John’s wife Janene, mother, brother, children and grandchildren were among those present to see him become the 16th person to receive the Police MSM since it was established in 2014.
Bay of Plenty District Commander Superintendent Andy McGregor says there was a great turn-out and an emotional atmosphere.
“He put a lot of energy and passion into the things he did,”he says. “He always did extra work with dog handlers and that flowed into his work as a Field Learning Development Officer.
“He was highly respected and always willing to give advice and help. He was someone others could always turn to.”
John served in Auckland, Rotorua and at the Dog Training Centre (DTC) at Trentham, where he is credited with transforming dog training from a ‘compulsion’ approach to one based on positive reinforcement.
As senior dog instructor he developed, led, instructed and assessed courses relating to AOS dogs, SAR and Avalanche dogs, Pacific Island dog training, Corrections and Aviation service training and more.
Among his achievements as a handler, John won the Duncan Trophy for the best-performing dog team with Auckland Dog Section in 1987 and was a finalist in the New Zealand Police Dog Championships from 1989 to 1991.
He and his fellow Rotorua handler and previous MSM recipient Paul Selby – who was among guests at the medal presentation – represented New Zealand in police dog championships in Australia, winning the team trophy.
John established the New Zealand Police Dog (Shirley Elwood) Charitable Trust in 2005, enabling New Zealand handlers to undertake courses of study overseas, enhancing our reputation internationally.
During the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, he coordinated the inter-agency pre-deployment training for explosives detector dog teams from Police, New Zealand Customs and Aviation Security.
In 2013 he was appointed Bay of Plenty Field Learning and Development Manager, passing on the benefit of his vast experience to new generations of officers.
He has maintained links with the Dog Section in retirement and last month was among former staff invited to join the judging panel at the Australasian Police Dog Championship hosted at Trentham.
His name remains part of the fabric of the Dog Section in Bay of Plenty District with the establishment of the John Edmonds Cup for the most outstanding dog team in the Rotorua and Taupō policing areas. It will be presented for the first time this year.
Away from work, John was a keen sportsman, captaining the Auckland and New Zealand Police Rugby teams and representing New Zealand Police as a member of the Combined Services rugby team.