Slain officer remembered for caring manner to have laneway named after him

Slain Tasmanian police officer Constable Keith Smith will have a laneway in Ulverstone named after him, a memorial service marking the first anniversary since his death has heard.

Constable Smith, 57, was fatally shot on June 16 last year, when he attempted to serve a repossession notice at a property at North Motton, in Tasmania's north-west.

Leigh Geoffrey Sushames pleaded guilty to his murder in January this year, and is expected to be sentenced in the Supreme Court in Burnie next Friday.

Constable Smith was farewelled at a police funeral, with full ceremonial honours and followed by an honour guard, in Devonport a week after his death.

Today's memorial service, in his home of Ulverstone, 18 kilometres west of Devonport, was to celebrate his life and mark a year since his death.

Central Coast Council Mayor Cheryl Fuller opened the proceedings, remembering Constable Smith's fondness for a "cuppa" and a chat.

She also revealed a laneway between Ulverstone's Victoria and King Edward streets, which "Keith travelled often" as it connected the police station with eateries and coffee shops, would be renamed in his honour as "Keith Smith Lane".

Constable Smith, who was the oldest of four siblings, was remembered by his family for his love of bikes and computers, mastery of Monopoly and fondness for unusual sandwich combinations, like "peanut butter and beetroot".

They said he loved animals, proposing at Tasmania Zoo's red panda enclosure, and buying his family a toy poodle called Teddy.

"His family was everything," the memorial heard.

"He wasn't just a part of their lives, he was the centre of it. Everything he did was with his family in mind."

Inspector Andrew Hanson, who worked with Constable Smith, said he was known for his kindness to those he served, purchasing them meals and coffees, and checking in with people long after he first helped them.

"When you think back now about all those little gestures, I wonder how much kindness has been paid forward within the communities that Keith lived in," he said.

"I actually think that's quite remarkable."

Keith's influence 'continues to shape how we serve', police commissioner says

Tasmanian Police Commissioner Donna Adams said she had heard countless stories about "a police officer who didn't just do his job, but who took the extra time to listen, to reassure, and to make people feel seen".

"Over the past year, what has stood out most is something quieter, but deeply significant — the way Keith's influence continues to shape how we serve, and how we care for our community every day,"

she said.

"As commissioner, I am committed to building a lasting legacy that reflects who Keith was and how he served — and one that will make his family proud."

She pointed to the Tasmania Police Keith Smith Community Policing Award, set up to recognise officers who do the job with compassion, connection and care.

She said police also set up a blood donation initiative that used Constable Smith's badge number as its target — Team 2390 — which aimed to save 2,390 lives.

"Today is not only a time to remember how we lost Keith," she said, "it is a time to remember how he lived."

"A 25-year career built not on recognition, but on reliability, on doing the job properly, and on treating people with dignity, even in the most difficult circumstances."