A new police recruit has been identified as one of four Australian police officers killed in a Melbourne freeway crash on Wednesday.
The officers had been attending to a speeding Porsche driver on Kew's Eastern Freeway when a refrigerated truck ploughed into them as they stood in the emergency lane.
The Guardian reported the deaths of Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Constable Glen Humphris, Senior Constable Kevin King and Constable Josh Prestney, and the driver of the truck is being treated in hospital.
Josh Prestney, 28, had only recently graduated from the police academy, his grandmother told the Herald Sun.
"You were so proud to serve, and we were so proud of you," she said. "He only graduated in November. He was just on a stint before being at Kew station. He had only started on this on Tuesday."
Prestney was on placement with King, who was part of Nunawading Highway Patrol at the time of the incident.
Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police Graham Ashton said the incident was the largest single loss of police lives in one incident in the history of Victoria Police.
"It is a tragic day for Victoria Police," he said. "A tragic day for the families of these officers, and we feel very deeply for them. The whole force is reeling this morning from what's occurred last night.
"It's an unprecedented event for us to lose so many officers in one event, in one terrible collision on the freeway. And officers just doing their work, doing the job, doing a duty that is performed by officers many times a day across a state.
"It is just a timely reminder of how tragic police work can be at times."
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison expressed his condolences on Twitter, calling the crash "awful".
"Heart-breaking news that four police officers have been killed while on duty in Melbourne tonight. My deepest sympathies go out to their families, fellow officers and friends at this terrible time."
During his Thursday press conference, he thanked Victoria Police for their work.
"You step up every day, you stand between us and that danger every single day, and we are deeply grateful for your service, deeply grateful for your sacrifice - and to those families who are knowing nothing other than terrible grief today, we stand with you as much as we possibly can."
On Thursday morning Victoria Police Academy police recruits, instructors and staff paid their respects with a minute's silence to "honour their fallen friends and colleagues who so tragically died in the line of duty yesterday evening".
In a statement, Australian politician and Victoria's Premier Dan Andrews said the families of the victims are broken.
"Our hearts are breaking with them. We grieve alongside them – just as we grieve with every member of Victoria Police and every member of our emergency services family," he said.
"In the coming days, formal investigations will tell us why – how – this could possibly have happened. But one thing is already clear: Though we may not yet know their names, we will always call them heroes."
