The ACT's Police and Emergency Services Minister said he personally lobbied for the creation of a deputy commissioner for the Emergency Services Agency following the summer's devastating bushfires.
Mick Gentleman said the need for the appointment of a deputy commissioner to the organisation came following an internal review into the bushfire crisis.
The new role will be taken up by ACT chief police officer Ray Johnson.
Speaking on ABC radio on Wednesday morning, Mr Gentleman said the new role within the ACT Emergency Services Agency would lead to greater support.
"We recognised coming out of the last bushfire season the enormous amount of work for commissioner [Georgeina] Whelan, and Canberrans are well aware of the effort she put in," Mr Gentleman said.
"We didn't have a deputy commissioner in place to support that role should she need to step down for a period of time or move into another area for operational reasons."
Mr Gentleman said the role was applied for by multiple candidates, and Ms Whelan supported the need for a deputy commissioner.
Mr Johnson will start in his new role on May 18.
The move has led to federal police deputy commissioner Neil Gaughan taking on the role of the ACT's top cop.
As a deputy commissioner of the federal police, deputy commissioner Gaughan holds a higher rank than Johnson, who is an assistant commissioner.
Sources have told The Canberra Times that federal police commissioner Reece Kershaw pushed for the change because he wanted a higher-ranking officer in charge of ACT police.
Deputy commissioner Gaughan is best known publicly as the man congratulated by Home Affairs boss Mike Pezzullo for carrying out the raid on the home of journalist Annika Smethurst.
Mr Gentleman said he was pleased to see the federal police's deputy commissioner being appointed to the territory's chief police officer.
"That opportunity will be provide the ACT a better seat at the table [of the federal police] for the community role and will accelerate that position by moving [the chief police officer role] into the deputy commissioner," he said.
"Neil brings a wealth of experience."
The departure of assistant commissioner Johnson from the chief police officer role comes just 18 months into his five-year term.
Australian Federal Police Association president Angela Smith said members had been frustrated with the "swinging door" of leadership within ACT police.
"We wish someone would sit there for some time and give it the attention it deserves," she said.
"Five years would be great, sadly people do go in and out of it and it has been happening for some time."
Ms Smith said she welcomed the appointment of deputy commissioner Gaughan to the role.
"It's been a good strategic move on behalf of commissioner Kershaw, and it will make [the chief police officer] role taken much more seriously."
