The Snitch: Assistant Commissioner Tony Crandell takes regular shifts on the beat

As one of NSW’s most senior police, no one expects to see Assistant Commissioner Tony Crandell on the beat these days, but he says shifts on the front line keep him grounded.

Assistant Commissioner Tony Crandell likes to get back on the beat. Picture: Tim Hunter

Responding to drunken brawls, shoplifting, civil disobedience and noise complaints is a rite of passage for young constables.

And rising through the ranks means most officers can bid those shifts on the truck good riddance.

But not Assistant Commissioner Tony Crandell.

Assistant Commissioner Tony Crandell gets back on the beat for a regular shift. Picture: Tim Hunter

Despite having paid his dues on the beat more than 20 years ago, Crandell has been spotted working truck shifts in Auburn, Granville and Blacktown.

“I started doing it when I was the commander at Kings Cross,” the former Surry Hills police boss said.

“I don’t wear a tie or anything, I dress like the other cops and just look like another cop.

“When you get out there, no one cares about your rank but us.”

At his rank, it’s unheard of to see officers turning up to a teenager throwing roof tiles at police or a domestic violence incident inside a Granville brothel (true story).

But Crandell, who is usually the force’s keeper of secrets as the State Intelligence Commander, joins troops across Sydney for a shift every three months.

Some of the younger cops are a bit unnerved when their boss’s boss jumps in the passenger seat for a 12-hour shift, but after half an hour, things tend to loosen up.

“I’ll never stop going out, it’s such a leveller and it brings you back down to earth,” Crandell said.

Walking the beat is a rite of passage for officers. Picture: Steve Tyson

He also likes to see how police on the ground operate, what technology they’re using and how they approach the melting pot of social issues in their communities.

Crandell remembers responding to a woman caught shoplifting in Mt Druitt and being taken
aback by the local senior constable’s response.

The woman disclosed to police that she thought she had been sexually assaulted the night prior and had not kept up with her mental health medication.

The senior constable walked the woman up to a medical centre, booked her in to receive her medication, and organised a sexual assault assessment.

“He said to me ‘sorry boss, I know I could’ve arrested her but I couldn’t think of a young woman sitting in the cells wondering if she’d been assaulted’,” Crandell said.

“I told him that was the best response I have ever seen.”

DELTA IN THE RANKS

There were fears the Delta variant of Covid had taken hold of State Crime Command this week after a detective based at the Parramatta hub tested positive.

Hundreds of staff turned out for testing, which led to the second close call.

We heard an officer from the Criminal Groups Squad returned a positive test too. But the squad let out a collective sigh of relief when pathology confirmed it was a false positive.

CLIENT’S THREAT

Some clients will do anything to get out of paying their legal bills. Take Michael Fantin’s client, for example.

The Sydney barrister found himself a witness in the middle of an intimidation case in the District Court this month after he claimed to have received a veiled threat from a former client.

He told the court that his client, a troubled accountant who can’t be named due to an upcoming trial, dropped the names of people like nightclub don John Ibrahim and Moses Obeid when confronted about his unpaid invoice.

The trial heard that when Fantin, who represented the accountant in 2015, dared to ask about the overdue account, he was allegedly told: “I could have got rid of you a long time ago.

“Get out of the bankruptcy court or you’ll know who you are dealing with,” the accountant allegedly told his puzzled barrister.

Fantin, of Marbury Chambers, told the court he went to police, who told him there was no evidence the accountant had “the use of heavies” at his beck and call.

Phew.

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