OPP honours local officers

By Sarah Sobanski

The OPP is honouring officers from its Bancroft detachment.

Sergeant Jeff MacKinnon, and provincial constables Boyd Croghan, Holden Smith, and Kyle Storey of the Bancroft OPP were awarded the Commissioner's Commendation for Exemplary Service While on Duty in Dangerous Circumstances.

In December 2013 MacKinnon, Croghan, Smith and Const. Marcus Bardy — who also received the award but no longer works with the Bancroft detachment — attended an assault call in Hastings Highlands. During a violent family dispute, a man had injured his father and crafted a homemade flamethrower. Upon attending the scene, the man threatened the officers with the flamethrower, shot at them and brandished a knife before being taken into custody. No one was injured, including the suspect.

Const. Storey was awarded for subduing a suspect after the suspect attempted to overtake he and his partner in Red Lake.

Detective constable Tracy Allan was a member of the OPP investigative team that received the Amethyst Award. The award recognizes outstanding achievements by people in the Ontario Public Service (OPS). The team received the award for its investigation into the events surrounding the October 2014 shooting at Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

Sandra Nicholson received an outstanding service award for 35 years of work with the OPS. She works at the Bancroft detachment as an administrative assistant.