Burglars hit veteran crimefighter
AFTER a long career fighting crime, a retired Hutt Valley policeman has become a victim himself.
Marty Edghill, who joined the police in 1977 and retired in the rank of inspector in September 2013, was burgled while he was on holiday with his wife in June.
The house had a burglar alarm, but nonetheless Edghill lost his precious police overseas service medals, and some jewellery he bought for his wife while on some of those foreign missions.
The eight stolen medals recognise his work on missions in East Timor, Tuvalu and Kiribati, the Solomon Islands, and Afghanistan between 1999 and 2009.
‘‘In police I don’t think, to my knowledge, anyone has been to all those missions, and in particular the three I did to Afghanistan,’’ Edghill said. ‘‘It is in a way why I took early retirement – I came home and thought, ‘I’ve been at the pinnacle of my career. Oh, well, it’s time to hang up my boots’.’’
His parents had miniatures of the medals and his insurer was arranging for replacements, helped by Wellington medals consultant John Wills.
But Edghill had reported the burglary to police and hoped to get the originals back. The medals were worth little, but ‘‘from a sentimental point of view they are priceless to me’’.
Wills agreed the particular combination of medals was unusual. Whoever had stolen them would find it difficult to sell them, as medals’ value was calculated on rarity and significance of their recipient’s name. Stealing medals with a policeman’s name on them would not prove lucrative.
‘‘It’s not a bright spark who knocks off a copper’s – or in this case a retired copper’s – house.’’
The replacements would bear Edghill’s name, but would also have ‘‘replacement’’ engraved on them.
As the medal consultant to all government departments except defence, Wills said he had rarely been called upon to replace stolen police medals. But in one case, about five years ago, the medals turned up on Trade Me.