Nick Kaldas: Feud won’t keep top cops from former deputy commissioner’s farewell from the force

FORMER deputy police commissioner Nick Kaldas will be given a hero’s welcome when he returns to Sydney for functions to farewell him from the force.

• NICK KALDAS SET TO LEAVE NEW POLICE FORCE
• NUMBER OF DEPUTY COMMISSIONERS FROM 3 TO 5

FORMER deputy police commissioner Nick Kaldas will be given a hero’s welcome when he returns to Sydney for a series of functions to farewell him from the NSW Police Force.

Commissioner Andrew Scipione and Deputy Cath Burn are set to be among the revellers at one of the parties despite a decade-long feud with the guest of honour.

Mr Kaldas will return to Sydney from a secondment to the United Nations to attend his celebrations.

Former NSW Police colleagues organising the main event said they have been so overwhelmed by demand for tickets they have had to reconfigure the floor space twice to accommodate numbers.

“We sold a couple of hundred tickets in the first few days and now have sold more than 600,” one organiser said. “The venue is now being reorganised in anticipation of a capacity crowd of 800.”

Acting Police Commissioner Nick Kaldas interview with journalist Andrew Clennell in response to the Paris attacks. Picture: Toby Zerna

All police executives, including Mr Scipione and Ms Burn, have been invited to the function, in Darling Harbour next month, as part of protocol for retiring executives.

Most senior officers thought it unlikely, however, that the Commissioner and his deputy would attend because of the long running animosity between the trio.

But when asked yesterday if the pair would attend, a spokesman said: “Yes, of course they are.’’

Mr Kaldas retired from the NSW force earlier this year after parliamentary and Ombudsman investigations into the bugging of several police, including the former deputy commissioner.

The bugging caused friction in senior police ranks because the operation was run by Ms Burn.

Mr Kaldas will return to Sydney later this month after finishing a report for the UN into the use of chemical warfare in Syria.

“I am overawed at the response and honestly didn’t expect it,’’ he said from overseas yesterday.

“I am looking forward to the opportunity of saying thank you to my police colleagues and the community.’’

He declined to comment on the possible attendance of Mr Scipione and Ms Burn.

There have been calls for Mr Kaldas to return to the force as NSW Police Commissioner after Mr Scipione and Ms Burn were criticised for their actions at the time of the Lindt siege cafe, including leaving the operation at 10pm and 11pm.

Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione and Deputy Police Commissioner Catherine Burn / Picture: Bob Barker

Hours later gunman Man Monis shot dead cafe manager Tori Johnson and was in turn killed by police. Lawyer Katrina Dawson died from fragments of a police bullet.

More than 30 state MPs, community leaders, the state’s most senior police and rank-and-file officers will attend the dinner in Mr Kaldas’s honour. A spokesman for Police Minister Troy Grant said the date was in his diary. Another tribute dinner to be held in ­Leichhardt by community members has also been overwhelmed with the response by people wanting to ­attend.

There have been calls for Mr Kaldas to return to the force as NSW Police Commissioner after Mr Scipione and Ms Burn were criticised for their actions at the time of the Lindt siege cafe.