Courageous NSW Police Inspector Amy Scott, who took down knifeman Joel Cauchi, ‘content’ with actions

The heroic police officer who ran towards danger and single-handedly took down a crazed knifeman at a Bondi shopping centre says she is “content” with her actions but has admitted she had “little sleep” in the hours after the massacre.

NSW Police Inspector Amy Scott has been widely praised for her bravery at Westfield Bondi Junction in Sydney on Saturday when she shot Joel Cauchi dead to stop his murderous rampage.

As panicked shoppers ran for their lives, Insp Scott pursued the knifeman. Cauchi is said to have lunged at her after she yelled at him to put the knife down but he did not comply, forcing her to pull the trigger.

After the shooting, Insp Scott administered first-aid but he could not be saved.

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said Insp Scott was “enormously courageous” and that she “no doubt prevented the loss of additional lives”.

NSW Premier Chris Minns added the officer “ran towards danger” and her “instinctive bravery ... without a shadow of a doubt, saved many, many lives”.

“The best in this State confronted one of the worst acts we’ve ever seen,” he said.

“And we are very, very grateful for the men and women who stood up in Bondi Junction in the last day.”

Mr Minns said the community owed the officer an “enormous debt of gratitude”.

“There are many committees to run through before someone’s actually given a hero award or a bravery award, but I think we can call it — this is outstanding courage and bravery under incredibly difficult circumstances,” he said.

Police Association of NSW boss Kevin Morton on Sunday said Insp Scott was “content with what she had to do”.

“I spoke to her last night and again this morning and she said, ‘It was a night with not a lot of sleep’,” he told reporters in Sydney.

“She knows she has been tagged a hero but to her she was doing her job. I didn’t ask her about the exact incident, because she is yet to be formally interviewed.”

It came as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also singled out Insp Scott’s “extraordinary” bravery.

“We also, though, at this time, give thanks to our police and emergency services,” he said.

“The wonderful inspector who ran into danger by herself and removed the threat that was there to others without thinking about the risk to herself.

“We also see the footage of ordinary Australians putting themselves in harm’s way in order to help their fellow citizens.

“That bravery was quite extraordinary that we saw yesterday, the best of Australians amidst this extraordinary tragedy.”

Cauchi was on Sunday named as the man behind the rampage which killed five women, one man and left several others in hospital — including a nine-month-old baby.

NSW assistant commissioner Anthony Cooke said Cauchi travelled from Queensland to Sydney last month, where he took possession of a small storage facility.

Assistant commissioner Cooke said there was no evidence to suggest the attack was religiously or ideologically motivated, with police believing it was related to mental health.

He said police had spoken to the man’s family, who were co-operating with police.

Ash Good – the mother of the nine-month-old baby injured in the attack - has been identified as one of the six victims.

Architect and mother-of-two Jade Young and Dawn Singleton, the daughter of millionaire businessman John Singleton, were also among those killed.