The NSW Police Force lost a highly respected and much-loved member of its family last night.

Sergeant Geoffrey Richardson from the Port Stephens Local Area Command was killed when the police car he was driving crashed into a tree on Lovedale Road, Allandale, around 11.50pm yesterday (Saturday 6 March 2016).

At the time, Sergeant Richardson had been driving to assist colleagues who were engaged in a pursuit. He was the only person in the car at the time of the crash.

Further police and Ambulance Paramedics were called to the scene, and got there a short time later, however Sergeant Richardson had passed away before their arrival. He was the sole occupant of the vehicle.

The matter is now the subject of a Critical Incident Investigation, which will be supported by the Newcastle Crash Investigation Unit and overseen by the Professional Standards Command.

Sergeant Richardson graduated from the NSW Police Academy in 1998. He served the Campbelltown Local Area Command as a Constable until 2005, when he was transferred to Cobar and promoted to the rank of Senior Constable.

In April 2010, he was transferred to Central Hunter Local Area Command, before moving to Lake Macquarie Local Area Command upon his promotion to the rank of Sergeant in December 2010.

He served Lake Macquarie until July of 2015, at which time he transferred to Port Stephens Local Area Command.

Sergeant Richardson provided 18 years of dedicated and distinguished service to the people of NSW. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including a Regional Commander’s Commendation for Bravery after he arrested a number of offenders while off-duty at Nelson Bay in 2012.

In every sense, he was a hard-working, highly regarded, popular and committed police officer, who will be sorely missed by the organisation he so ably represented and the communities he diligently served.

Above all else, he was a loving and much-loved husband and father. His wife, Senior Constable Margaret King, and his two young sons, are naturally devastated, and we ask that their privacy be respected during this extremely difficult time.

As the men and women of this organisation always do in times of tragedy, we will band together and support Sergeant Richardson’s family , his friends, and each other, through this extremely difficult situation.