Tasmania Police will gather in Ulverstone today to mark one year since Constable Keith Smith was shot and killed on duty.
Smith, 57, died at a rural property at North Motton, in the state’s north-west, on June 16 last year.
He and a colleague were there to deliver a court-ordered repossession notice.
His death was the first fatal shooting of a Tasmania Police officer in more than a century.
Smith had served 25 years with Tasmania Police and was stationed at Ulverstone.
The memorial at The Pier will bring together his family, friends, colleagues and the wider community in his home of Ulverstone.
Police Commissioner Donna Adams will deliver an address.
“Today marks one year since we lost Constable Keith Smith. And while a year has passed, for many of us, time has not softened the loss,” Adams said.
She said she had heard “countless” stories about Smith over the past 12 months.
“From colleagues who worked beside him, from members of the community he supported and from families who remember a police officer who didn’t just do his job, but who took the extra time to listen, to reassure and to make people feel seen,” she said.
Adams said the way Smith’s influence continued to shape how police served the community was significant.
“As commissioner, I am committed to building a lasting legacy that reflects who Keith was and how he served and one that will make his family proud,” she said.
That has already been done through the Tasmania Police Keith Smith Community Policing Award, which recognises an officer who polices with compassion, connection and care.
Recipients will be displayed at the Tasmania Police Academy as a daily reminder to officers and recruits of Smith’s service and sacrifice.
The community has also rallied behind a blood donation drive, Team 2390, named under Smith’s badge number.
“Under Keith’s badge number, emergency services have united with the goal of helping save 2,390 lives – a reminder that even in loss, we can continue to make a difference,” Adams said.
She said the day was also a chance to remember how Smith lived.
“A 25-year career built not on recognition, but on reliability, on doing the job properly and on treating people with dignity, even in the most difficult circumstances,” she said.
“Our thoughts remain with Keith’s family and loved ones. With honour he served, and with honour his legacy will live on.”
Central Coast mayor Cheryl Fuller will compere the service, with tributes also given by Smith’s colleagues and friends.
The Central Coast Council said the memorial was a chance for the community to reflect on his life.
“In recognition of the community’s kindness and support over the past 12 months, members of the community are warmly invited to attend,” the council said.
Smith was a keen cyclist who raised more than $100,000 for Tasmanian charities through police bike rides, covering more than 400 kilometres in the saddle.
He was awarded the Commissioner’s Medal in 2011, the National Police Service Medal in 2016 and a 20-year clasp in 2021.
Leigh Geoffrey Sushames, 46, pleaded guilty to Smith’s murder in January and will be sentenced on June 26.
