A New South Wales police officer has been killed on duty after the car she was travelling in crashed into a tree in inner-city Sydney. Constable Mia Lay, 20, was in a marked police car that hit a tree on Gibbons Street in Redfern about 1.30am on Friday. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.

NSW police said the marked police car was travelling under lights and sirens along Gibbons Street when it crashed. The officers were responding to a reported vehicle theft at Glebe, driving with lights and sirens activated. Lay, a female constable who had been with the force for 16 months, died instantly in the crash.

Police commissioner Mal Lanyon thanked Mia for her courage and for choosing the police for her career. “You will not be forgotten,” he said.

The 24-year-old male constable who was driving was treated by paramedics before he was taken to hospital in a stable condition.

A crime scene has been established, and police have declared a critical incident.

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 finished its probe, and any coronial or criminal proceedings were over.

NSW police minister Yasmin Catley said the force is “mourning one of its own”. The premier, Chris Minns, and the police minister, Yasmin Catley, said their thoughts were with the loved ones of the officer who died.

“Our police officers dedicate themselves to looking after others, and today the NSW police family is mourning one of its own,” Catley said.

Minns said he was also thinking of the officer injured in the crash and those who responded at the scene.

The NSW opposition leader, Kelly Sloane, said she was “heartbroken” by the news.

“(The officer) was out working while most of us were asleep, protecting the community,” she said.

Nearby Regent Street remained closed in both directions between Lawson and Cleveland streets.

Motorists have been advised to avoid the area, with several bus routes being diverted.