Three of West Vancouver's finest have been commended for their role in saving the life of a woman caught in a "very violent" domestic assault.
Sgt. Timothy Kravjanski and Consts. Kieran O'Reilly and Gregory Trenholm received meritorious service medals from Attorney General Suzanne Anton and Lieutenant Governor Judith Guichon on Nov. 20.
The incident happened in February 2013 when the West Vancouver Police Department received a late-night 9-1-1 call from a home on Moyne Drive. Officers who arrived on the scene found a man standing over his badly injured and bleeding wife in a room that held more than two dozen firearms - pistols, shotguns and rifles, including some that were loaded.
Kravjanski, O'Reilly and Trenholm arrested the man and called in B.C. Ambulance Service paramedics for the victim who had been left semiconscious after being hit on the back of the head with the butt of a rifle.
The man, whose name remains protected by a publication ban, was later handed an 18-month jail sentence.
West Vancouver Chief Const. Len Goerke praised the actions of his officers as heroic for entering the residence, descending to a room filled with loaded firearms and making a safe arrest.
"(Kravjanski, O'Reilly and Trenholm) displayed skill and courage by decisively responding to a difficult and dangerous situation. They demonstrated the West Vancouver Police Department's motto 'Service with Honour.' It's great to see them receive a well-deserved meritorious service medal," he said.
Sixty-eight officers in B.C. were awarded meritorious service honours including North
Vancouver RCMP Staff Sgt. Benoit Rodrigue who was recognized for "superior crisis negotiation skills during an incident involving an armed hostage-taker." Rodrigue was posted to the Kamloops RCMP detachment at the time.
The province bestows the awards annually to recognize exemplary performance that exceeds expectations and enhances the public image of police officers.
