Inspector Amy Scott honoured for her bravery on tragic day
Inspector Amy Scott, who shot dead the Bondi mall knife attacker, says her actions came down to training and instinct: ‘Stop the killing, stop the dying.’
The lone police officer who stopped Joel Cauchi’s bloody rampage at Bondi Junction has spoken for the first time about the “unfathomable tragedy” of that day, and keeping the victims front-of-mind in everything she does.
Inspector Amy Scott was awarded the Commissioner’s Valour Award on Friday for her bravery and professionalism on April 13 when she responded alone to calls of a man armed with a large hunting knife indiscriminately stabbing people at the Sydney shopping centre, and shooting him dead. Cauchi had fatally stabbed six people – Ashlee Good, Dawn Singleton, Faraz Tahir, Jade Young, Pikria Darchia and Yixuan Cheng – and injured many others.
She said her actions were the result of training and instinct: “Stop the killing, stop the dying.”
Fighting back tears, she said: “I would hope I’m not defined by one incident in my career, because at the end of the day we’re all just ordinary people that are sometimes called upon to do extraordinary things.”
Inspector Scott, in front of family and friends, stopped short of speaking of the details of that day.
“It was quite a traumatic day for everybody involved,” she said. “I wasn’t the only person there and that’s why I have stayed quiet, and probably will continue to stay quiet, because there are really important people that responded that day that have been impacted.
“It’s a healing process and it will be for everybody involved.”
After watching 169 new probationary constables graduate at the Police Academy in Goulburn on Friday, Inspector Scott had “mixed emotions”, saying that joining the force 19 years ago was “without a doubt one of the greatest choices I’ve made in my life”.
“I’m incredibly honoured and grateful to receive an award at this level,” she said. “However, those mixed emotions are with the fact that I do feel like I’m taking it on behalf of my team because I don’t want people to forget how incredible they were on that day.
“You are only as strong as the people around you, and that goes for my incredible family and friends after that. And other first responders both at the scene and at the hospital. And the extraordinary acts of bravery that we saw from everyday civilians. It was second to none.
“Really importantly as well are those victims, their family and friends who will be forever dealing with an unfathomable tragedy.”
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