Gardaí who tackled armed raiders and rescued small children and their mother from a burning building are among those who have been awarded Scott Medals for Bravery at a ceremony in the Garda College, Templemore, Co Tipperary.
The highest accolade went to Det Garda Eoin Colbert, who was awarded a silver medal for his role in tackling three men as they fled the scene of an armed robbery at a pharmacy on Manor Street, Dublin 7, in April 2006.
One of the raiders was armed with an imitation firearm which Det Colbert, based at Dublin’s Bridewell station, believed was real at the time. Despite being hit across the face several times with the weapon and then having it pointed at his forehead and being threatened he would be shot, the unarmed Det Colbert managed to subdue the raider who was arrested and later convicted.
Det Garda Karl Moriarty of Dublin’s Harcourt Square, was awarded a bronze medal for disarming a raider armed with a rifle who was pointing the weapon at customers in a bookmakers shop in Clonee, Co Meath, in April 2010.
Garda Brian Dromey and Garda Killian Barry were both based at Coolock Garda station in north Dublin in January 2009 when they arrested two men who were sitting in a car in Coolock.
One of the men was masked and armed with a loaded gun and both suspects violently resisted arrest. The two gardaí were awarded bronze Scott Medals.
Also awarded bronze medals yesterday were Garda Michael Murphy and Garda Neil Murphy.
They were based at Wexford Garda station in September 2010 when they rescued a woman and two young children from the upstairs of a house engulfed by fire and thick smoke.
