Sergeant Sydney Rudd-Schmidt is a veteran of Victoria Police who has dedicated his career to getting justice for victims.
He is one of just eight police officers to be awarded the Australian Police Medal this year.
Sgt Rudd-Schmidt has served with Victoria Police for an extraordinary 50 years.
He worked in uniform policing in Melbourne, Euroa and Seymour for 21 years before being appointed officer in charge of Seymour prosecutions in1994.
In that role his integrity and extensive knowledge of the law has been crucial in overseeing some 300 police informants at 25 police units.
A long-serving magistrate once said Sgt Rudd-Schmidt was on an equal footing with any lawyer who presented before them.