Commissioner Peter Martin APM, Deputy Commissioner Paul Stewart APM and Assistant Commissioner Samantha Newman attended the commissioning of a new police vessel named in honour of the late Constable Sondra Lena at Lytton this morning.
The Lena family has many ties to Queensland Corrective Services.
Sondra Lena died in the line of duty in April 1992 whilst operating a road block to locate a prisoner who had escaped from the Capricornia Correctional Centre.
Officers from the centre were among the first on the scene, and provided first aid to the young Constable, who had been hit by a car.
Sondra’s sister Andree has worked at QCS for 17 years, and is presently undertaking role of Statewide Manager, Sentence Administration within Specialist Operations. Her partner, Bruce Tannock is also a long time QCS employee.
Commissioner Martin said he was honoured to be able to attend the commissioning of the QPV Sondra Lena, a 10-metre speed patrol boat.
“The death on duty of any officer is a tragedy not only for their family but for their colleagues and the broader community.
“It is a sad reality of frontline duty that officers sometimes have to put themselves in harm’s way to keep the community safe.
“Sondra was a fine young officer, and she served with honour. I was very pleased to be able to attend the commissioning and pay my respects to Sondra and Andree’s mother Sandra,” Commissioner Martin said.
