Tasmania Police has opened nominations for the second annual Keith Smith Community Policing Award, honouring the legacy of a respected officer who was killed in the line of duty in June 2025. The award recognises a serving police officer who has shown an outstanding commitment to community-focused policing.

Police Commissioner Donna Adams said in a statement that the award was created to ensure Constable Smith’s memory lives on and that his community spirit continues to be recognised. “We’re looking to recognise a serving police officer whose service to the community reflects the compassion, service, and trust that Constable Smith embodied throughout his 25-year career,” Commissioner Adams said.

Constable Smith, a 25-year veteran of the force, was fatally shot near North Motton in the state’s north-west on 16 June 2025 while carrying out his duties. His death was the first fatal shooting of a police officer in Tasmania in more than a century, according to reporting at the time. Leigh Geoffrey Sushames was sentenced to 40 years in jail for the murder just last week, on Friday 26 June 2026, as reported by Pulse Tasmania.

In the year since his death, several tributes have been established to honour the late officer. The inaugural Keith Smith Community Policing Award was presented to Northern Tasmanian officer Senior Constable Annabel Shegog in October 2025. Earlier this month, on the first anniversary of his death, a memorial service was held in his home town of Ulverstone where a laneway near the police station was renamed Keith Smith Lane in his memory. A blood donation initiative, “Team 2390,” was also launched under his badge number.

Commissioner Adams stated that the values of service and support defined Constable Smith’s career. The award seeks to recognise an officer who demonstrates those same qualities by building trust and fostering partnerships within the community.

Tasmania Police invites members of the public to nominate an officer who they believe has made a significant contribution through community policing. Nominations are open until Friday, 31 July 2026, with the recipient to be announced at an awards ceremony later in the year.