Murdered NSW police awarded for courage

Two police officers who were murdered in a shooting that rocked a tiny NSW community have been recognised for their courage 20 years on.

Senior constables Peter Addison and Robert Spears were shot dead by a local man after the officers responded to a domestic violence report on July 9, 1995, in the coastal hamlet of Crescent Head.

"They were cops just working in a country police station and they went out and they paid the ultimate price," NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione told 2GB on Thursday.

Mr Scipione presented the slain officers' widows with national police service medals at a ceremony at Crescent Head on Thursday.

The medals recognise the officers' courage and diligence to duty.

"Senior Constables Peter Addison and Robert Spears walked into an ambush," Mr Scipione said.

"Human instinct would demand you remove yourself from harm's way in a situation like that, but not these brave officers.

"They knew they had to try to stop this gunman who could have gone on to kill or injure others."

Mr Scipione said Snr Const Addison was not prepared to leave his wounded friend and colleague and together they made the ultimate sacrifice.

The Kempsey-based policemen were sent to Crescent Head for a domestic violence incident. When they arrived a gunman dressed in camouflage gear opened fire.

They returned fire while ducking for cover and Snr Const Addison tried to call for back-up on the police radio.

At the same time Snr Const Spears was shot.

Snr Const Addison ran to a nearby house but it didn't have a phone and as he tried to enter another home, he was also shot dead.

The gunman then turned his rifle on himself.

Following their deaths, the officers were awarded the Commissioner's Valour Award, the police force's highest honour.

Adding to that is the national police medal, presented at Thursday's anniversary ceremony.

Among those at the anniversary at The Addison/Spears Memorial was a former state coroner, police commissioner and Oxley MP Melinda Pavey.