Crowd of contenders in race after top cop Andrew Colvin gives notice

A multitude of candidates are considered potential replacements for Andrew Colvin.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner ­Andrew Colvin. Picture: AAP

A host of internal and external candidates are considered potential ­replacements for Australian Federal Police Commissioner ­Andrew Colvin after he announced he was leaving the role, calling it the hardest decision of his career.

Mr Colvin yesterday said he informed the secretary of the ­Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Martin Parkinson, before May’s federal election that he would not seek to extend his five-year contract when it ends in Oct­ober. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton was told soon after.

In a video distributed inter­nally at the AFP yesterday, the ­father of two said his family ­“really have suffered” over a long period of time and he was looking forward to spending more time with them.

A separate public statement included a reference to the toll of the AFP’s work on its members, saying it would “continue to be one of our greatest challenges”.

The AFP has been rocked by five workplace suicides since February 2017, the latest just over a week ago.

Mr Dutton thanked Mr Colvin for “inspirational leadership, diligence and hard work in protecting the community”, as the federal government prepares to consider a replacement.

Potential contenders include AFP deputies Neil Gaughan, Leanne Close and Karl Kent; Australian Border Force deputy and former ACT chief police officer Justine Saunders; and Australian Criminal Intelligence Com­mission chief executive Michael Phelan.

Also in the running could be outsiders who previously missed out on being appointed commissioner of the NSW Police Force and Queensland Police Service.

The selection of a new commissioner comes amid an ongoing outcry over AFP raids on the Canberra home of News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst and on the ABC’s Sydney headquarters on consecutive days last month during investigations into leaks on national security.

AFP Association president Angela Smith said there was “talk of an external applicant … Others feel it should be internal. There’s pros and cons on both.”

Internal candidates understand the AFP’s machinations, while external candidates were not constrained by alliances within the organisation.

The next commissioner had to be “very capable, competent and have the backing of the troops.” They must have an operational focus, bring the workplace together, have a good understanding of the federal arena and give frank, fearless advice to politicians.

“Good luck finding that person,” Ms Smith said. “It’s a very political position, as well as an ­operational position. You’ve got to have a foot in both camps — that’s a difficult path to travel.”

Ms Smith said she was aware AFP suicides “played extremely heavily on (Mr Colvin’s) mind, as it plays on a lot of our minds.”

“Five years in that role — it’s a very tough environment. You’ve got to deal with working in the federal political environment with ministers and prime ministers. The political environment hasn’t been the most stable in the last five years,’’ she said.

Mr Colvin joined the AFP in 1990. He co-ordinated the AFP’s response to terrorism between 2002 and 2005, encompassing the 2002 Bali bombings, 2003 Jakarta Marriott Hotel bombing and 2004 bombing of the Australian embassy in Jakarta.

He was AFP chief of staff, nat­ional manager of high-tech crime operations and held deputy commissioner roles before becoming commissioner in 2014.

“This has been the hardest ­decision I have had to make in my 30 years as a police officer,” he said in the internal AFP video.