A Belfast expat was feted for his policing prowess at the prestigious Irish Law & Order Awards in New York at the weekend. 

Fintan McCormac, who emigrated from Corrina Park in West Belfast at the age of 19 in 1991, has 27 years under his belt as a police officer in New York State. 

The former St Mary's pupil is a Detective Sergeant in the Nassau County police department where he heads the unit responsible for protecting visiting dignitaries. "I am always in awe of the fact that as a kid from West Belfast, I could be responsible for protecting the President of the United States," he says. 

Detective McCormac holds Top Secret Government Clearance and supervises detectives who work in the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force.

A fitness fanatic, he ran his first marathon in Belfast aged just 15 and has competed in Ironman triathlons for most of his adult life. In almost three decades in law enforcement, Detective Sergeant McCormac says his proudest moment was graduating from the police academy in 1998. "My mum and dad flew over from Ireland and stood on the stage next to me as I received my certificate," he says. "They have both since passed but I will remember that graduation moment always."