Search heats up for new NSW top cop with Assistant Commissioner Mick Fuller favourite to replace Andrew Scipione

ANDREW Scipione will retire as police commissioner in April, with Assistant Commissioner Mick Fuller now the frontrunner to replace him.

ANDREW Scipione will retire as police commissioner in April, with Assistant Commissioner Mick Fuller now the frontrunner to replace him.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian has pledged a new commissioner will be appointed within two months.

Mr Fuller, 49, was ranked first in recent interviews for new deputy commissioners and has featured prominently in a government anti-domestic violence campaign.

Retiring in April... Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione

He is understood to have leapt into consideration over the likes of deputies Catherine Burn and David Hudson, with Ms Burn’s prospects damaged by the Operation Prospect police bugging affair and the Lindt Siege.

Assistant Commissioner Jeff Loy has been someone pushed in the past by the Police Association. Other ­assistant commissioners such as Frank Mennilli, Geoff McKechnie and Peter Cotter could also apply. There has been speculation that Australian Border Force chief Roman Quaedvlieg could be a candidate.

Mr Scipione could have stayed until July under the contract he renewed in 2015 amid a police succession crisis but a government source said the commissioner had “read the tea leaves” after the departure of his backer Mike Baird as premier.

In announcing his retirement, Mr Scipione quashed speculation that he may be asked to stay even longer past his 10 years in the job.

Police Minister Troy Grant is understood to have had a submission ready to go to cabinet to have Mr Fuller and Mr Mennilli appointed as deputies after a selection process involving Mr Scipione but that has now been put on ice until the appointment of a new commissioner.

Mr Scipione insisted yesterday that the government had not pushed him to go early, saying he told Mr Baird last December he intended to leave in April and had repeated the same message to the minister on Monday.

The minister met Mr ­Scipione after the commissioner phoned Mr Grant on his reappointment to the police portfolio on Sunday.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione yesterday. Picture: Brianne Makin

Early days... Scipione back in 2002.

Ms Berejiklian said the naming of new deputy commissioners would be delayed until the appointment of the new chief.

“The new commissioner should have the responsibility to appoint the new deputies,” she said. “We are formally saying that we are escalating the (commissioner recruitment) process.”

It is understood the ­government’s view was that given one of the deputies may be appointed commissioner, there was little point appointing them so soon before Mr Scipione’s departure.

Ms Berejiklian said the job would be advertised nationally and international applicants could express their interest but the process would be focused “around NSW and Australia”.

Ms Berejiklian said there would be no bar against former deputy commissioner Nick Kaldas applying for the job. But for Mr Kaldas to be appointed, he would have to sidestep unfavourable findings of the Ombudsman’s Operation Prospect inquiry and legislative changes would need to be made given that he retired from the force as medically unfit last year.

“I’m not going to speculate on personalities, what I will say is we have put a ­robust process forward,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“Whoever succeeds Commissioner Scipione will have enormous shoes to fill.”

Mick Fuller is now frontrunner to replace Scipione. Picture: Craig Wilson

Mr Scipione denied he was retiring now because the Lindt Siege Coronial inquiry was about to report and there may be some criticism of his actions in going home before the siege ended. He said he still expected to be commissioner when the findings were handed down.

“I know this is a sought-after position … probably the top of the tree when it comes to policing in this country,” Mr Scipione said.

His 10 years in the top job came after five years as deputy police commissioner.

“I walk in the shadows of heroes every day,” he said yesterday. “(This is) the finest police force in this nation, if not the world … I’ve got to say, as I reflect on that period, I look back and I look back on things like crime statistics.

“We are looking at crime figures in NSW … in the major crime categories, they’re the lowest they’ve been in 30 years. I would like to finish by saying thank you to successive governments … thank you for an opportunity to lead this organisation.”

Ms Burn and Mr Kaldas have refuted Operations Prospect findings made against them.