Top Courtesy Award for WA Detective
By Ray Wilson
Detective Sergeant Terry Hebb, the man who carried out the extradition of a key witness in the Cedar Bay case in Queensland to WA was awarded a Police courtesy award today.
The nomination came from the former prisoners mother.
Detective Sergeant Hebb went to Queensland in November to bring back Robert Elliott, who faced charges of breaking and entering and of escaping legal custody. He was released on parole on January 28.
A member of the East Perth Rotary Club, Mr Bruce McKenzie, who helped screen the nominees, said Detective Sergeant Hebb won the award for his humane and courteous efforts in extraditing a known criminal and drug addict to WA.
He said that in discussions with Robert Elliott it was constantly stressed how kind and considerate the Detective was to his wife, his son and himself during the trip back to WA.
Mr McKenzie said that the man had emphasised that the Detective had given him and his wife the confidence to break with drugs. Detective Sergeant Hebb said today that Elliot was extremely anti-police when he first met him.
“I treated him like I do any other person”, he said. “But I had the chance to sit with him on the 23 hour plane ride from Cairns to Perth and talk about things generally”. “The other times he has had contact with police was sitting on the other side of the fence when questions were fired at him”.
The detective said he arranged a few personal items for Elliott when he was imprisoned in WA. I also assisted him in a few personal problems.