At the ceremony at Dunedin Centra police station, which was attended by nearly 100 people, Inspector Jason Guthrie praised nine officers for their "outstanding work" in Operation Steelers.
The operation was launched after the murder of Justin McFarlane in North Otago in September 2013.
"It was a challenging case, with multiple accused, multiple defence counsel and a number of intricacies that made this a very difficult investigation and trial," Insp Guthrie said.
The "complex investigation" resulted in a 44-day trial involving 105 witnesses and 10 lawyers representing the five accused.
The accused were found guilty of murder and sentenced to imprisonment and non-parole periods ranging between 17 and 18 years.
"An appeal relating to the convictions and sentences was dismissed in its entirety — a reflection of the quality work undertaken by the team."
The operation members given the district commander’s commendation yesterday were Senior Constable Sandra Agnew, Detective Mark Durant, Detective Senior Sergeant John Ferguson, Sergeant Sheldon Kindley, Detective Kevin Kirkman, Detective Sergeant Neil Lowden, Detective Sergeant John MacDade, Detective Grant Miller and Constable Dean Rogers.
Other award recipients included Constables Amie Manning, Don Peat and Richard Myers, who were given area commander’s commendation awards for "the brave actions which prevented a mentally unwell" woman drowning at St Kilda Beach on February 29.
The officers battled "rough surf conditions and dangerous rips" to bring the woman to shore.
"Without their combined actions the woman would have almost certainly drowned. I commend Constables Manning, Peat and Myers for their courage and dedication," Insp Guthrie said.
