New NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller to put community first

THE next NSW Police Commissioner vows to put the war on terrorism, drugs and organised crime right at the top of his agenda.

• New top cop Mick Fuller was overruled as Lindt siege unfolded

NEW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller has pledged to end the infighting at the top of the cops and has put the war on terrorism, drugs and organised crime right at the top of his agenda.

Mr Fuller was revealed as the NSW Police Force’s new boss today, following an extensive interview process and his appointment being rubber-stamped at a cabinet meeting today.

Mick Fuller was selected as the next NSW Police Commissioner today. Picture: Dylan Robinson

Assistant Commission Cath Burn and former top cop Nick Kaldas, both of whom were caught up the long-running police bugging scandal, were overlooked for the commissioner role.

The police bugging scandal caused deep divisions through the force but Mr Fuller said that ends as he takes over on Monday morning.

“I hear too much about are you ‘team A or are you team B’ but it’s not about that. It’s not about team Fuller,” he said.

Mr Fuller said his agenda will be to put the community first, with the fight against terrorism and organised crime his highest priorities.

“If we get the structure right we can fight terrorism, not just as a response, but we can disrupt it, we can prevent it. We can prevent organised crime, not just respond to it,” he said.

“Those are two concerns in the community but there are others.

NEW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller has pledged to end the infighting at the top of the cops.

“The NSW Police will have a key focus on ‘community first’ from Monday morning.

“The entire task is a little daunting but we are ready for it.”

Mr Fuller highlighted his time as a senior officer fighting the scourge of drugs in Kings Cross and he said the force will make it a priority to target dealers.

He said his wife was in shock after he received the call confirming his appointment and paid tribute to his family and colleagues.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she was “extremely heartened” to hear Mr Fuller say there will be “no more teams” within the police, a reference to the splits at the top of the force over the bugging scandal.

“That’s music to my ears,” she said.

Ms Berejiklian paid tribute to outgoing commissioner Andrew Scipione, whose last day in the job is on Sunday.

“Andrew Scipione has served the people of NSW tirelessly, and I’ll always be grateful for his leadership and personal sacrifice,” she said.

Mr Fuller has worked for the cops for 29 years — 16 of which have been in senior roles. During his time as Assistant Commissioner, Mr Fuller was in charge of the fight against domestic violence.

Police Minister Troy Grant said the appointment marks the beginning of a new chapter. “I look forward to working alongside Mr Fuller to continue providing officers with the resources they need to keep the community safe,” he said.

“Policing is extremely challenging, but with these challenges come enormous opportunities, and the community can have great confidence in the more than 16,000 officers of the NSW Police Force under Mr Fuller’s leadership.”

The police union welcomed Mr Fuller’s appointment but said he must work to modernise the force and increase officer numbers.

Police Association President, Scott Weber said: “It’s essential there is an end to the boom and bust cycle of police numbers.”

MICHAEL FULLER’S DISTINGUISHED CAREER

Michael Fuller APM has been a senior executive within the NSW Police Force since 2010 at the level of Assistant Commissioner.

He has held the position of Assistant Commissioner, Central Metropolitan Region since 2014, a role that has seen him lead policing across the breadth of the Greater Sydney metropolitan area.

Mr Fuller’s 29-year career with the NSW Police Force commenced in 1987, when he was sworn in as a junior officer. Mr Fuller was promoted to the rank of Detective Sergeant in 2000, and then to the rank of Inspector in 2002. His early career was spent in general duties, criminal investigation, strike forces and major incidents.

New NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller (right) and RFS Superintendent Ben Millington, survey damage from a tornado in Kurnell. Picture: Braden Fastier

In 2004, Mr Fuller was promoted to the rank of Superintendent, with roles commanding police across a variety of metropolitan and regional locations. This included a two-year posting as head of the State’s largest Local Area Command, City of Sydney.

Following this, Mr Fuller was appointed as an Assistant Commissioner in 2010, spending two years as Commander of the Southern Region of NSW. He spent a further two years serving as Assistant Commissioner in the Professional Standards Command, setting benchmarks for performance, conduct and integrity across the Force.

Mr Fuller has led multi-agency emergency response operations to some of the State’s worst fires, floods, protests and terrorist incidents.

Mr Fuller has led multi-agency emergency response operations to some of the State’s worst fires, floods, protests and terrorist incidents and had a command role through some of Australia’s highest profile events, including APEC, World Youth Day, and was Commander of Sydney’s New Year’s Eve celebrations. He is well aware of the new and unique threats we face as a community, and the diversity of issues we face across NSW.

Most recently, as the NSW Police Force’s Corporate Spokesman for Family and Domestic Violence, a position Mr Fuller has held since 2014, he has led full organisational reform of strategies to prevent and respond to domestic violence, and has significantly contributed to the whole of government efforts in this space.

Through the introduction of Domestic Violence High Risk Offender Teams, Suspect Target Management Plans, and the ‘No Innocent Bystander’ campaign, Mr Fuller has overseen programs that take the pressure off victims, and put offenders on notice that their crimes are not private, but matters of serious public concern.

Mr Fuller has also played a key role in reforms to criminal exhibits and police powers, and was the architect of the Region Enforcement Squad initiative to work across commands targeting mid-level metropolitan crime.

He has relieved extensively at Deputy Commissioner rank over the past six years.

Mr Fuller holds a Diploma in Management and was awarded the Australian Policing Medal in 2009 for distinguished service in policing.