Sergeant Dilley joined the NSW Police Force in 1982 and has been a familiar face on the Mid North Coast since arriving in 1990.

He was confirmed as a constable in 1983, and in 1987 he commenced highway patrol duties serving at Sydney District, Dee Why District and Kempsey.

In 1997, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and is the current team leader of the Mid North Coast Highway Patrol.

The honour is recognition for Sgt Dilley's dedication. He has served the people of NSW for over 34 years in exemplary style.

"I’m very proud and very honoured to receive a prestigious award," he said.

"I’m very grateful to even be considered. In 34 years I have had a diverse experience working with some senior executive officers. It’s a massive honour. "

Sgt Dilley has performed traffic operations for more than 30 years and has a strong dedication to road safety and the promotion of safety standards across the Mid North Coast Command.

"I’ve been fortunate to be involved in projects that they have entrusted me to undertake, which have been fairly complex," he said.

"A lot have had to do with the development of strategies for highway patrol."

Early in his career, Sgt Dilley took a liking to riding motorbikes where he started in Brisbane Street in Sydney.

"It introduced me to a lot of strategic work, like the traffic management centre. We had electronics in those days that could control traffic lights in the whole metropolitan area," he explained.

"I had a taste of strategic planning and I was very fortunate to work in other areas."

He has been a police negotiator since 1993 and has conducted many successful operations through high level negotiations with numerous at-risk persons.

Sgt Dilley has coordinated the police traffic response to the Australian Ironman event held at Port Macquarie for the past 10 years.

In addition to his duties, he has been a NSW Police Force Protocol officer for over 10 years, ensuring that appropriate traditions are conducted at ceremonies and events.

"I jumped at opportunities. As the intelligence officer I was involved in formulated strategies that are still used today, providing intelligence for the deployment of highway patrol," he said.

"A lot goes on behind the scenes that people in the community don’t see. It is very much a team environment.

"Particularly in the very early years as a young person your life choices are built on the family values you have.

"However joining a police family the principals and the ethics of some of the senior officers I worked with really provided me with a clear direction that I believe I followed."

Sgt Dilley said he had many role models as a young office, and hopes he played that role himself for others.

"There are some senior executive people that I now work with in Port who I still have high regard for," he said.

"What I obtain from these other senior officers I’m hoping I’m presenting the same model to younger officers and not just highway patrol, but police generally in the local area command. They are a tremendous group of individuals.

"There’s a clear passion for the traditions and values for police generally, and I hope my contribution has added to that."

His passion, dedication and hard work should not be underestimated. It has not been an easy job.

Two of Sgt Dilley's colleagues were killed in the line of duty while protecting the community of Crescent Head on the Mid North Coast from an armed gunman on July 9, 1995.

"It was a very intense period and that is my biggest memory and a very vivid reminder of the dangers of our occupation," he said.

He has also had very proud moments wearing the sky blue.

"Being able to honour those two, with the commissioner and other senior executives in Crescent Head in July, 2015, [at the 20^th anniversary ceremony of the incident] was special to me," he said.

"So were the 150th celebrations that we held in Port Macquarie was also very proud moment, marching as a contingent of police.

"The response from the community was great. It was really well received."

Sgt Dilley has been supported lovingly by his wife, Keryn, and their children Laura and Thomas.

"They have been extremely supportive and it’s always been important to me," he said.

"I don’t know where I’d be without them.”

He has been a strong contributor to the NSW cricket community, predominately through his high profile role with the Mid North Coast Cricket Umpires’ Association.