David Gaskin, Timaru, QSM
For services to the New Zealand Police. Inspector Gaskin has been the Mid-South Canterbury Police Area Commander since 1997 and is renowned for his expertise in Search and Rescue, which he has co-ordinated for the South Canterbury Police District since 1987. He is trained in Disaster Victim Identification and has been involved in numerous high profile rescue and recovery operations. He was part of a team that instigated a strategy in Timaru in the 1980s and 1990s to increase community safety and gain control of gang violence. Recently Inspector Gaskin has been working on improving the area response to family violence, with significant results in identifying and reporting offences.