The young police officer killed in a horrific crash has been identified as 20-year-old Constable Mia Lay, based at South Sydney.
The 20-year-old officer died after the police vehicle she was travelling in struck a tree in Redfern about 1.30am on Friday.
Paramedics treated the male constable who was driving before he was taken to hospital in a stable condition.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said Ms Lay had only been in the force for 16 months.
‘Mia was a loved police officer, she’d been in the force for 16 months, she had shown exceptional promise and was well loved,’ he said.
‘To lose a life in her prime is a terrible tragedy.
‘She’s shown exceptional promise and was well loved through the South Sydney Police Area Command.
‘She would have been an outstanding police officer, and to lose her life, both in its prime and just at the end of becoming a police officer, a terrible tragedy.’
The female constable was a passenger in a fully marked police car when it crashed into a tree in Redfern around 1.30am on Friday
Police said the female constable died instantly, with the force of the impact tearing the Volkswagen apart
On Friday morning, officers could be seen hugging and comforting each other at the scene
Police Minister Yasmine Catley said Ms Lay’s colleagues called her an ‘angel’.
‘Both her parents spoke of how much she loved her job and how proud she was to be a New South Wales Police officer,’ she said.
‘It was clear the young woman loved what she was doing, but tragically, she went to work and never came home.’
The NSW Police watchdog said it would monitor the force’s investigation into the crash to ‘ensure public confidence’.
The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission said it could not independently investigate the incident until NSW Police finishes its probe and any coronial or criminal proceedings are over.
Premier Chris Minns said he was also thinking of the officer injured in the crash and those who responded at the scene.
Nearby Regent Street remains closed in both directions between Lawson and Cleveland streets.
Motorists have been advised to avoid the area,
