It has long been glaringly obvious that all is not well in the upper ranks of the New South Wales police force. For well over ten years a criminal act went unresolved despite a public enquiry and a separate investigation by the Ombudsman - which failed to reach a conclusion.
We have had the farcial situation of the present police commissoner remaining in office by numerous extensions simply because the logical hierarchy to replace him from the upper ranks is tainted by in-fighting and making a selection will reward a victor in the fight for the top job.
Some may wonder if this enigma was part of Mike Baird's reason for quitting as premier. Having a loyal police force is critical to any government because they are the first line of defence when the public become unruly. They stand between raging mobs to enforce unpopular government decisions and should they fail to prevail the outcome would be anarchy.
Commissioner Andrew Scipione was due to finally retire in July, but he has chosen to bring that departure date forward to April 2. This has pitchforked new premier Gladys Berejiklian into the necessity of selecting and naming his replacement at shorter notice than she expected. No reason has been given for Scipione's decision to step aside before that July retirement date.
The premier will receive pressure from the powerful Police Association of New South Wales to make that appointment from within local ranks. The public will remember the fiasco that resulted years ago when a top entrant from London's Scotland Yard got the job - and found the politics within the New South Wales police force totally unreadable.
The rumour mill now has it that the head of the Australian Border Force is the front runner for selection, along with senior officers from other state police forces. That would probably not please the NSW Police Association, but it would at least ensure that the job went to an Australian rather than the uncertainty of trying to enmesh a foreigner in the nuances and customs that are part of Australian life.
The premier has made it clear that those involved in the bugging scandal that erupted in the rivalry battle for selection years earlier are still in contention, despite one very senior office having left the force. Media speculation favours Roman Quaedvileg, head of the Border Force because he would be a clear break from the divisions roiling within the state police and it would introduce a breath of fresh air.
It is an interesting factor that the pay scale for the head of the Border Force stands at $ 730,000, a hundred thousand dollars higher than the present pay of the NSW Police Commissioner. If Roman Quaedvileg is appointed, either he has to take a pay cut or the salary for the police commissioner needs to be increased. It could be inferred that making a selection at this higher pay level elevates the job seniority well above the capability of the local contenders.
If the pick selects from within the New South Wales police it seems inevitable that the warring division fighting will continue. If it brings in an outsider that will need to be a person with exceptional skills to bring those divisions together and unify the police force. To a very large degree it may be the decisive factor that determines Gladys Berejiklians outcome as state premier.
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