Quick intervention earns bravery honour

Hans Hilhorst helped a struggling policeman. Photo / Sarah Ivey

When Hans Hilhorst saw a handcuffed woman shove a police officer towards the road, he didn't stop to think.

Leaping from his car, the 49-year-old - who was delivering copies of the Herald in Oteha Valley Rd on the North Shore - ran to help get her in the patrol car.

As he raced to shut the other door to prevent escape, another male prisoner came at him. Then a carload of family members turned up.

"This young guy comes out of nowhere and straight into me, one punch that I remember, but he gave me a good push and an almighty shove and I went flying through the air and landed on my right hip on the road and busted my pelvis to pieces," said Mr Hilhorst, who suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta or "brittle bones". He spent the next month in hospital.

Yesterday, the father of two was one of three civilians honoured at a police ceremony in Takapuna for going "above and beyond the expectations of an ordinary citizen".

Twelve officers and one non-sworn employee were recognised for long service, good conduct and bravery, including Senior Sergeant Brett Batty for his work on the 2007 fatal stabbing of a man by his former prostitute lover in Parnell.

North Shore Mayor Andrew Williams and Northcote MP Jonathan Coleman attended the ceremony and commended the winners.

Congratulating Mr Hilhorst, North Shore area commander Inspector Les Paterson said that with no immediate back-up available, officers would have struggled to control the situation had the carload turned on them.

That was Friday, February 13, and on Friday, March 13, Mr Hilhorst was discharged from hospital.

He spent the next six months off work on ACC and walks with a permanent limp. He had to give up the paper run.

But Mr Hilhorst did not understand yesterday what all the fuss was about.

"When I was driving past I saw that both [officer and cuffed woman] nearly fell back on the road so I thought, 'He's having some trouble there,' so I just instinctively stopped and helped him."