Wednesday, April 22, 2020

REMEMBERING THE FOUR VICTORIAN POLICE [END OF WATCH: APRIL 22, 2020]


            On this date, April 22, 2020, Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Senior Constable Kevin King, Constable Glen Humphris and Constable Josh Prestney were all killed when an out of control semi-trailer driven by Mohinder Singh Bajwa, struck them as they were speaking to a driver after pulling over a Porsche 911 for speeding on the Eastern Freeway near Kew. The cause of the crash is under investigation. The incident marked the worst loss of life in a single incident for the force.

            Let us remember four of the Australian police and not forget them.

 
Senior Constable Kevin King, Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Constable Josh Prestney and Constable Glen Humphris. Image: Victoria Police

Community Mourns Victoria Police Officers Killed In Freeway Crash

Victoria Police has released images of the four police officers who were killed in a multi-vehicle crash on Melbourne's Eastern Freeway on Wednesday night.

New recruit Constable Josh Prestney, 28, died alongside his colleagues Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Constable Glen Humphris and Senior Constable Kevin King, in the line of duty in the suburb of Kew on Wednesday.

Constables Prestney and Humphris had both joined the force recently and were undergoing placements as part of probationary training.

SC Taylor was stationed at the road policing drug and alcohol section, where Const Humphris was doing a placement.

Const Humphris, originally from Gosford NSW, was a qualified sports scientist and exercise physiologist before signing up for the force. He had moved to Melbourne with his partner of four years, Todd.

He is remembered by his colleagues as "being very level-headed, caring and supportive with a great sense of humour and had the ability to make light of any situation to calm people".

"His squadmates said he genuinely wanted to help people, had a great sense of community and genuine empathy for everyone – victim and offender alike," Victoria Police wrote in a statement.

SC King was stationed at Nunawading Highway Patrol, where Const Prestney was placed.
Const Prestney was an arts graduate before he joined the force in 2019.

His brother, First Constable Alex Prestney, presented him with his badge when he graduated from the academy in December.

He is survived by his parents Andrew and Belinda, and FC Alex Prestney.

Const Prestney's grandmother Eliza Anderson told the Herald Sun the 28-year-old had only begun his latest placement on Tuesday.

She described him as "beautiful", "talented" and "so proud to serve" the community.

"We were so proud of you. God bless Josh. Miss you forever," she wrote on Facebook, the paper reports.

Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor had a distinguished 31-year career with Victoria Police, after she joined the force in 1989.

She had worked in the Road Policing (Drug and Alcohol section) Operations Unit since 2011 and had been awarded multiple service medals for her police work.

Victoria Police said Lynette was known for her great sense of humour and "her colleagues will fondly remember seeing her smiling face every day."

The Leading Senior Constable is survived by her husband Stuart Schultz -- a former Victoria Police Officer-- and their two sons Nathan and Alexander.

"Lynette and her husband Stuart were building their dream retirement home overlooking Bass Strait on Victoria’s south east coast, which would support their passion for travel and fishing," Victoria Police said.

Lynette had travelled around much of the world and spent a year sailing around the South Pacific on a yacht -- even living on it for some time when she returned.

She was also the primary carer for her sister who had recently suffered a stroke.

Police said Lynette would also be remembered for her caring nature.

"Lynette had a reputation of going into bat for others and challenging decisions that she believed were unfair."

Senior Constable Kevin King, 50, had been with the force for six years and joined the Nunawading Highway patrol in 2018 after working at several other stations.

The father-of-three was well liked, well respected and well regarded by his colleagues, Victoria Police said, adding that he had a great sense of humour and loved going to work.

The Senior Constable was described as "an older head with a lot of life experience who always made good judgement calls and decisions."

"He was a terrific bloke. A lovely, all round good bloke who took to road policing immediately," the officer in charge at Nunawading Highway Patrol said.

"He would do anything in his power to not let you down. He always just wanted to laugh, have a good time, and talk about footy."

"It’s just devastating to lose a bloke like that.”

Kevin is survived by his wife Sharron Mackenzie and their three children, William, James and Henry.





Victorian Police Commissioner Graham Ashton issued a statement saying the officers' names "should forever be remembered".

"They were our colleagues, our friends, our squadmates, our family," the statement read.

“Each from different backgrounds, each with different life experiences, each with a common goal to keep the community safe.

Their families will never be the same and our thoughts and prayers are with them.

Flags across the state were flown at half-mast and floral tributes have been left for the officers.

They were killed when a large refrigerated truck ploughed into them near the freeway's Burke Rd exit about 5.40 pm on Wednesday.


"It is a tragic day for Victoria Police ... it is a tragic day obviously for the families of these officers and we feel very deeply for them," Ashton said.

Ashton said two of the officers intercepted a black Porsche that was allegedly speeding on the freeway and pulled it into the emergency stopping lane.

The 41-year-old driver allegedly returned a positive drug result, prompting the officers to call for back-up from two highway patrol colleagues to impound the vehicle.

A short time later, Ashton said the semi-trailer appeared to veer into the emergency lane, striking and killing all four officers.

"It is an unprecedented event for us to lose so many officers in one event. Officers just doing their work, just doing their job," Ashton said.

The Porsche driver allegedly fled the scene of the crash on foot. Police located him on Thursday.

Ashton said the truck driver experienced a "medical episode" following the crash and was taken to hospital under police guard.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison described the crash as an "awful tragedy" and extended his condolences to the families of the victims.

"This is a terrible time, more broadly, but for these families and for the Victorian Police family and for police officers all over the country -- and I know their families will be feeling the same way -- this is just an awful tragedy," Morrison said at a press conference.

"A terribly dark day for that police force and our thoughts, our prayers, our sympathies are there for all of them, but also our thanks to police officers serving all over the country."

Premier Daniel Andrews asked all Victorians to pause and honour all Victoria Police officers for the work they do.

"Every single member of Victoria Police put themselves in harm's way, every hour of every day in order to keep the rest of us safe ... Yesterday, we had a tragic reminder of the risks, the dangers and the tragedy that that work can involve," Andrews said.

 


OTHER LINKS:




1a. 22 April 2020, Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Senior Constable Kevin King, Constable Glen Humphris and Constable Josh Prestney were all killed when an out of control semi-trailer driven by Mohinder Singh Bajwa, struck them as they were speaking to a driver after pulling over a Porsche 911 for speeding on the Eastern Freeway near Kew. The cause of the crash is under investigation. The incident marked the worst loss of life in a single incident for the force.


1b. Senior Constable Kevin King, Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Constable Josh Prestney and Constable Glen Humphris. Image: Victoria Police

1c. Porsche driver is charged and could face 10 years in jail 'for taking photos showing cops' bodies strewn among truck crash wreckage before fleeing the scene' - as the twist of fate that saw him survive is revealed



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