The next NSW police commissioner could be decided within days, the state's premier says while not confirming whether one senior cop remains a contender.
Several high-ranking officers including Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon are being touted to replace Karen Webb, who announced her retirement in May after a three-year stint. Her term finishes on September 30.
Mr Lanyon, said to be a frontrunner, has drawn scrutiny in recent days over reports he took his wife and two friends on a police boat on Sydney Harbour on New Year's Eve in 2023.
Premier Chris Minns said on Friday Ms Webb's replacement could be named next week, but refused to be drawn on Mr Lanyon's status in the race.
"I'm not going to make a long commentary about a selection process that for understandable reasons should take place between us and the people who apply," Mr Minns told reporters.
"We haven't made a decision about who the police commissioner is and when we do I'll have more to say," he said, adding he was confident the government was getting to the end of the hiring process.
Asked if the government was confident of finding a candidate who had not made poor choices, Mr Minns said: "People do make decisions, sometimes they're bad decisions, me included, and there's not too many perfect people out there."
The assessment for choosing the next police commissioner would be made "based on the the totality of someone's career", the premier added.
Along with Mr Lanyon, who leads the state's Reconstruction Authority, other potential police chiefs include Assistant Commissioner Gavin Wood and Deputy Commissioner David Hudson.
Deputy Commissioner Peter Thurtell, another potential candidate, has been named interim police commissioner.
The role could also be filled by someone outside NSW Police, though experts say there are plenty of capable leaders within state ranks.
Ms Webb, the first female to lead the NSW force, earlier this year refuted suggestions she was pushed out of the top job.
