Title Awarded to Life-Saving Security Guard

New Zealand Security Association (Inc)

Media Release
22 June 2006

Embargoed to 7pm Friday June 23 2006

Title Awarded to Life-Saving Security Guard

The quick actions of security officer Lawrence Maber (43) are believed to have prevented a woman’s homicide and have earned Mr Maber the title of Security Officer of the Year.

Mr Maber’s award was announced at the New Zealand Security Association’s annual conference in Wellington tonight (Friday June 23).

The incident took place at 2.30am on Christmas Day, 2005. Mr Maber, who is employed by ADT Security, was undertaking routine noise control duties in Mt Wellington when he spotted a suspiciously parked car.

He lit up the car with his patrol vehicle lights revealing a Mongrel Mob associate assaulting a woman. The shining lights momentarily distracted the man, giving the woman a window of opportunity to break away from him and escape from the vehicle.

The Mongrel Mob associate drove off and Security Officer Maber went to the assistance of the distraught woman. She turned out to be the Mongrel Mob member’s former partner who had been kidnapped and held hostage for several hours and subjected to a brutal assault.

Police were called to the scene and a widely publicised manhunt spanning a number of days took place before the Mongrel Mob associate was arrested by the Police

ADT Security National Manager Cash/Manned Mark O’Brien who nominated Mr Maber for the award said that at the time of the incident, attending Police noted that had Mr Maber not intervened, the incident would most likely have resulted in a homicide.

Two merit awards were also presented at the function to Security Officers Epeli Ole Ravuci from Chubb who successfully intervened in a potential suicide situation and Shane Birch from Matrix Security Group who also risked personal safety to prevent a man, intent on suicide, from walking into oncoming traffic.

The inaugural Security Officer Trainee of the Year was presented to Carl Brickle from Allied Alarms whose employer wrote: “In the course of his employment we have never encountered one single customer complaint.”.

New Zealand Security Association chairman Scott Carter says these awards play an important role in highlighting the contribution to safety in New Zealand communities.

“Every day in cities and towns around the country, security officers go beyond the call of duty, sometimes risking their own lives to go to the assistance of others. Often their work is unseen, but it is nonetheless of extraordinary value. We’re delighted to give recognition to the winners of this years awards, but also acknowledge the excellent work of security officers everywhere.”

ENDS

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