The Commissioner of the New South Wales Police Force (known from 1851 to 1926 as the Inspector-General of the New South Wales Police Force) is the head of New South Wales Police Force. The post is currently held by Karen Webb, who replaced Mick Fuller on 1 February 2022. [1] The rank is usually referred to as the New South Wales Police Commissioner or simply just "Commissioner". The New South Wales Police Force has had 23 Commissioners since 1851.
The role was established under the Act for the Regulation of the Police Force in New South Wales 1850 (known as the 'Colonial Police Act 1850'), which provided for the appointment by the Governor of New South Wales of an Inspector-General of Police. [2] This act was repealed with the passage of the Police Regulation Act of 1862, which amalgamated the various police forces in the colony into one force responsible to the Inspector-General in Sydney. [3]
The first Inspector-General of Police was appointed on 1 January 1851. The title was changed to be "Commissioner" on 8 January 1926, although the official title would legally remain as "Inspector-General" until the passage of the Police Regulation (Amendment) Act 1935. [4]
| Ordinal | Officeholder | Post nominals | Title | Term start | Term end | Time in office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Spain | Inspector-General of Police | 1 January 1851 | 31 December 1851 | 364 days | [5] | |
| 2 | Captain William Mayne | 1 January 1852 | 17 September 1856 | 4 years, 260 days | [6] | ||
| 3 | Captain John McLerie | 28 October 1856 | 6 October 1874 | 17 years, 343 days | [7] | ||
| 4 | Edmund Walcott Fosbery | CMG | 7 October 1874 | 30 June 1904 | 29 years, 267 days | [8] | |
| 5 | Thomas Garvin | ISO | 1 July 1904 | 31 December 1910 | 6 years, 183 days | [9] | |
| 6 | Ernest Charles Day | 1 January 1911 | 9 January 1915 | 4 years, 8 days | [10] | ||
| 7 | James Mitchell | CBE | 1 January 1915 | 8 January 1926 | 15 years, 78 days | [11] | |
| Commissioner of Police | 9 January 1926 | 20 March 1930 | |||||
| 8 | Walter Henry Childs | MVO | 21 March 1930 | 23 March 1935 | 5 years, 2 days | ||
| 9 | William John MacKay | 24 March 1935 | 22 January 1948 | 12 years, 304 days | [12] | ||
| 10 | James Frederick Scott | 18 February 1948 | 13 October 1952 | 4 years, 238 days | |||
| 11 | Colin Delaney | CVO , CBE , QPM | 14 October 1952 | 27 February 1962 | 9 years, 136 days | [13] | |
| 12 | Norman Allan | CMG , MVO , QPM | 28 February 1962 | 14 November 1972 | 10 years, 260 days | ||
| 13 | Frederick Hanson | CBE , QPM | 15 November 1972 | 31 December 1976 | 4 years, 46 days | ||
| 14 | Mervyn Wood | LVO , MBE , QPM | 1 January 1977 | 5 June 1979 | 2 years, 155 days | ||
| 15 | Jim Lees | QPM | 17 October 1979 | 29 December 1981 | 2 years, 73 days | ||
| 16 | Cecil Abbott | AO , QPM | 30 December 1981 | 7 August 1984 | 2 years, 221 days | ||
| 17 | John Avery | AO , APM | 7 August 1984 | 12 March 1991 | 6 years, 217 days | ||
| 18 | Tony Lauer | APM | 13 March 1991 | 19 September 1996 | 5 years, 190 days | ||
| - | Neil Owen Taylor | APM | Acting Commissioner of Police | 20 February 1996 | 29 August 1996 | 191 days | [14] |
| 19 | Peter Ryan | QPM | Commissioner of Police | 30 August 1996 | 17 April 2002 | 5 years, 230 days | |
| 20 | Ken Moroney | AO , APM | 18 April 2002 | 31 August 2007 | 5 years, 135 days | ||
| 21 | Andrew Scipione | AO , APM | 31 August 2007 | 31 March 2017 | 9 years, 212 days | [15] | |
| 22 | Mick Fuller | APM | 31 March 2017 | 31 January 2022 | 4 years, 306 days | [16] | |
| 23 | Karen Webb | APM | 1 February 2022 | Incumbent | 59 days | [17] [18] |
The New South Wales Police Force is the primary law enforcement agency of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Divided into Police Area Commands (PACs), for metropolitan areas and Police Districts (PDs), for regional and country areas, the NSW Police Force consists of more than 400 Police stations and over 18,000 officers, who are responsible for covering an area of 801,600 square kilometres and a population of more than 8.2 million people.
The Bank of New South Wales (BNSW), also known commonly as The Wales, was the first bank in Australia, being established in Sydney in 1817 and situated on Broadway. During the 19th century, the bank opened branches throughout Australia and New Zealand, expanding into Oceania in the 20th century. It merged with many other financial institutions, finally merging with the Commercial Bank of Australia in 1982 and being renamed to the Westpac Banking Corporation on 4 May that year under the Bank of New South Wales Act 1982.
The New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR) was the agency of the Government of New South Wales that administered rail transport in New South Wales, Australia, between 1855 and 1932.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), an independent agency of the Government of New South Wales, is responsible for eliminating and investigating corrupt activities and enhancing the integrity of the public administration in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Commission was established in 1989, pursuant to the Independent Commission Against Corruption Act, 1988 (NSW), modeled after the ICAC in Hong Kong.
Sir James Martin, QC was three times Premier of New South Wales, and Chief Justice of New South Wales from 1873 to 1886.
The Surveyor-General of New South Wales is the primary government authority responsible for land and mining surveying in New South Wales.
Sir Alexander Stuart was Premier of New South Wales from 5 January 1883 to 7 October 1885.
The role of Protector of Aborigines was first established in South Australia in 1836.
William Bland was a transported convict, medical practitioner and surgeon, politician, farmer and inventor in the Colony of New South Wales, Australia.
The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser was the first newspaper printed in Australia, running from 5 March 1803 until 20 October 1842. It was a semi-official publication of the government of New South Wales, authorised by Governor King and printed by George Howe. On 14 October 1824, under the editorship of Robert Howe, it ceased to be censored by the colonial government.
Sir Frederick Keying Pottinger, 2nd Baronet was a police inspector in New South Wales who gained fame for his fight against Bushrangers.
The Police Integrity Commission, was a statutory corporation of the New South Wales Government, responsible for the prevention, detection, and investigation of alleged serious misconduct in the Police Force in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The mission of the commission was to be an effective agent in the reduction of serious police misconduct. On 1 July 2017, the Police Integrity Commission was abolished and replaced by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.
Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park, Eastern Suburbs Crematorium and Botany General Cemetery, is a cemetery and crematorium on Bunnerong Road in Matraville, New South Wales, in the eastern suburbs district of Sydney, Australia.
Corrective Services New South Wales (CSNSW) is a division of the Department of Communities and Justice of the Government of New South Wales, Australia. CSNSW is responsible for the state's prisons and a range of programs for managing offenders in the community. The state has 36 prisons, 33 run by CSNSW and three privately operated. The agency traces its origins back to 1788, when New South Wales was founded as a penal colony.
Robert Reginald Downing, AC QC was an Australian lawyer, textile worker, union organiser and politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council for the Labor Party for 31 years from 1940 to 1972 and also served as the Attorney General, Minister for Justice and Vice-President of the Executive Council from 1941 to 1965.
The Department of Railways New South Wales was the agency of the Government of New South Wales that administered rail transport in New South Wales, Australia between 1932 and 1972.
Sir Matthew Henry Stephen, was a politician and Puisne Judge in New South Wales.
William John Foster was a politician and Supreme Court judge in colonial New South Wales, Attorney General from 1877 to 1878.
William Colburn Mayne was an Irish-born Australian politician.
Michael John Fuller, is a retired police officer who served as the 22nd Commissioner of the New South Wales Police Force. He replaced Andrew Scipione on 31 March 2017, when Scipione retired. In July 2021, Fuller announced that he would be leaving the New South Wales Police Force in April 2022 to work in the private sector. Deputy commissioner Karen Webb was his replacement, effective 1 February 2022.