North shore cop who oversaw Mosman Bomber, Lindt siege cases retires after 40 years
A north shore police officer who lead some of the state’s biggest cases including the Lindt siege crisis and Mosman Collar Bomber attack is retiring after 40 years in the force.
North Shore
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One of north shore’s longest serving police officers is hanging up his badge after overseeing some of the state’s most prolific cases including the Lindt siege crisis and Mosman Collar Bomber attack.
Superintendent Allan Sicard will be celebrated by past and present colleagues next week in recognition of his four-decade service to NSW Police.
Raised in Orange, he joined the force on March 24, 1980 and went on to serve in command areas including the Northern Beaches, Bega, Goulburn and Merrylands.
In that time he has in served in front line roles ranging from highway patrol to the rescue squad, and overseen high profile investigations into homicides and drug supply.
Supt Sicard also took charge of the response into the 2011 Mosman Collar Bomber case, in which a teenager had a hoax bomb strapped to her neck for more than 10 hours, and was the first officer to take command of the scene at the Lindt cafe siege in 2014.
Supt Sicard said the response to the siege had included evacuating buildings, setting up perimeters and establishing trauma plans.
“As police we’re trained to run in when other people run away and the collar bomb and Lindt cafe cases are good examples of that,” he said.
“You learn to stay calm and in (those incidents) everyone did their absolute best. I’ve never been prouder about how our police worked together to get the best possible outcome in a situation none of us had been in before.
“As a police officer you never know what you’re going to be called to from one day to the next.”
In 2011, Supt Sicard joined the North Sydney Command and for the past two years has served alongside 255 officers as the superintendent of the North Shore Local Area Command.
Highlights along the way, he said, have included overseeing leadership development programs for his colleagues and supporting homeless people in the region into housing.
He said the force had significant changed since his days as a new recruit.
“When I trained it was an 11 week course and there were no computers or mobile phones. The capabilities of police now are amazing,” he said.
“It’s been challenging but the times you remember the most are when you’ve been able to make a difference. Those moments have been the most rewarding part.”
Supt Sicard has also taken part in the Police Legacy Boxing challenge, completed the Police Kokoda Track, and was awarded the Champion of Change award at the Advancement of Women in Policing Awards in 2019.
And he has no intention of resting on his laurels in retirement, planning to set up a consultancy business and to work with young people for positive change.
Supt Sicard’s final day on the beat will be next Tuesday – 40 years to the day since his first.