"Heaven has truly gained an angel", but Queensland police have lost a selfless, dedicated officer who approached work and life with fairness, respect and love.
At just 29, Constable Rachel McCrow had become the police officer the world now so loudly demands, friend and colleague Freddy Hartigan said at her memorial service in Brisbane on Wednesday.
"A copper who truly listens, a copper who deeply cares, a copper with a strong sense of justice and a copper who will fight to protect those they've sworn to serve," he said.
But she was much more than the uniform she so proudly wore.
"Family was everything to Rach, and she was everything to them,'' another friend, Senior Constable Melissa Gibson, said.
Her compassion and selflessness made her an "incredible police officer, and an even better friend", and she had a reputation for being a cheeky larrikin who loved a good prank.
"Rachel was simply one of a kind. She could literally light up any room on the darkest of days with a beautiful, infectious smile and those pearly white teeth," Sen Const Gibson said.
"How lucky are we to have had someone that makes saying goodbye so hard.
"Heaven has truly gained an angel."
Const McCrow was born in Rockhampton in 1993 before moving to Gladstone and then Brisbane where she did the majority of her schooling.
She was a dedicated swimmer, to the point she requested a waterproof cast when she broke her arm so she could continue training, Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll said on Wednesday.
Always having a keen interest in justice and law enforcement, she worked for the Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission and Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission before joining the police.
As a cadet at the police academy in Townsville, Const McCrow excelled against every benchmark and was "fierce" in a wrestle.
For every drop of sweat she put in for herself, she put ten in for the team, Const Hartigan said.
She organised early morning group runs and study sessions for those who needed extra help, and volunteered for multiple causes.
"Everything was done in such a genuine and loving way," Const Hartigan said.
She graduated from the academy in June 2021 and began her career at Dalby Police Station before transferring to Tara a year later where she stayed until her death on December 12.
"During this time, Rachel's commitment, passion and unwavering service matured and she became a much-loved and respected member of that community," Ms Carroll said.
Const McCrow had spoken about a desire to work in child protection and youth justice, and Const Hartigan believes she could have one day led the Queensland Police Service.
"I could see you achieving the rank of the officer that has supported your family with such beauty and vulnerability this week, the police commissioner," he said.
