A nine-year-old boy is in hospital after being struck by a police car responding to reports of a fire in a suburban park.
The young pedestrian was hit about 7.20pm on Monday on the Pacific Highway in St Leonards, on Sydney's lower north shore, while officers were responding to a fire at a nearby park, police said.
"When a marked police vehicle from North Shore Police Area Command arrived at Pacific Highway, near Christie Street, a child was struck by the police vehicle," NSW Police said in a statement.
Officers gave first aid to the boy before paramedics arrived at the scene.
The nine-year-old was taken to the Sydney Children's Hospital in Randwick in a stable condition.
The driver – a male senior constable – was given a roadside breath test and returned a negative result, police said.
A crime scene has been established and police are investigating the circumstances of the crash.
