Humble hero "just did his job"

WOULD you place yourself between a gunman and a victim, acting as a human shield?

This is what one very brave Lake Illawarra Command Police Officer did, his efforts seeing him receive a commendation for brave conduct.

Sergeant Sean Phillips and two colleagues were on a routine patrol in Warrawong when they were called to a shooting incident. They cordoned off the area before being told by a witness that a man had been shot.

Believing the gunman was still armed in a house nearby, Sgt Phillips directed his colleagues to take shelter and cover him as he attended to the injured man.

He then placed himself between the victim and the house to protect him from further gunfire until more police arrived and put their vehicle in place to provide further protection.

The gunman was apprehended a short distance away.

Sgt Phillips remains incredibly humble about his achievements, perhaps due to the spirited group of fellow police officers he has around him to keep his feet planted firmly on the ground.

While we see stories of police men and women placing themselves in the line of fire for the greater good of their fellow community all the time of television Sgt Phillips sais such events are not as common as we might think in real life.

"Policing is an uncommon job, no day is ever the same but an incident such as the one I was at may only come around every now and again in your career," he said.

He said he did not think he was being particularly brave when in the middle of the situation, he just did what he has been trained to do.

"I was just thinking "?I have to get this bloke stabilised'", he said.

"You are concentrating on what you are doing so you don't really worry about yourself."

Sgt Phillips said he is a believer in fate.

"Things happen for a reason," he said, although he was unsure what the reason for this particular incident might be.

The man whose life he risked his own to save and Sgt Phillips do not stay in contact.

Tragically the shooting left the victim a quadriplegic.

"Our lives are separate," Sgt Phillips said.

He said the commendation for brave conduct he received, which was presented to him by NSW Governor Marie Bashir at Government House last month, was totally unexpected, but a very nice thank you none the less.

Sgt Phillpis has been a police officer for 20 years, having spent six years serving our local area as part of the Lake Illawarra Local Area Command.

"I just want to reiterate I am one of only 16 000. There are plenty of other people braver than I am. While to receive this is great recognition I take nothing away from the others I work with," said our humble hero.