New South Wales next police commissioner Mal Lanyon has defended his suitability for the force’s top job after he was named as Karen Webb’s replacement on Wednesday.
It came after weeks of speculation that the 38-year veteran of the NSW police would be the next commissioner after Webb announced in May she was resigning, stepping down almost two years before her contract was due to end.
“This is one of the greatest responsibilities in the public service, and I take it on with humility and a deep sense of duty,” Lanyon told reporters.
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Standing alongside the NSW premier, Chris Minns, and the state police minister Yasmin Catley, Lanyon came under intense questioning over two incidents which had raised questions over his suitability for the role.
This included a 2021 incident in which he was found collapsed near Goulburn’s “Big Merino” sculpture, after he was reportedly “smashed” and had a run-in with paramedics who were called to help him.
He also recently made an admission, following a complaint to the police watchdog, that he taken his wife and another couple aboard an operational police boat for New Year’s Eve in 2023.
“I have made mistakes in the past, and I’ve always sought to learn from those experiences and believe in honesty, accountability and integrity.”
Asked about the Goulburn incident during the press conference and whether he’s had to take any personal action since, he said: “I’m certainly mindful of my drinking”.
He said he had been training “very hard” that day for a charity bike ride and had ridden 300km around Centennial Park. However, he said: “That doesn’t justify it, I accept that I drank more than I should have that night.”
He said he had reached out to the paramedics and apologised and that the incident was “completely out of character”.
The premier, Chris Minns, told reporters that he wanted to be “frank” about why the decision was made, despite the incidents.
“This decision was not made based on who had the mistake-free, perfect record. I want to make it clear that for me, it was based on who I believe should be in the commissioner chair on New South Wales’ worst day, and when the public’s in danger, and the New South Wales police force needs exceptional leadership,” he said.
“He’s led the Reconstruction Authority. He’s had the most difficult command in the New South Wales police, not just for one year or two years, but for over a decade.”
Lanyon was seconded to the acting chief executive of the NSW Reconstruction Authority, the state’s disaster recovery agency, in April.
He had been a deputy police commissioner since 2019, and had been considered among the frontrunners for the commissioner role in 2021 when Webb took the reins. He was reportedly seconded to the Reconstruction Authority due to “fractures in his relationship” with Webb.
In his nearly four-decade career with the force, he has led major crime-fighting commands against organised crime. He’s also overseen the state’s metropolitan policing operations, making him responsible for thousands of frontline officers.
Lanyon was responsible for establishing Operation Amarok, which targets high-risk domestic violence offenders.
Lanyon said, as commissioner, he will be focused on tackling organised crime, youth crime and “strengthening community safety in our regions, and supporting victims of domestic and family violence.
“I also want to strengthen the culture of the New South Wales police force, [and] cultivate a culture of respect, professionalism, and fairness,” he said.
“I want every officer, every member of the executive, part of one team, united behind the forces, goals, motivated by purpose and community.”
“I acknowledge Commissioner Karen Webb for her distinguished 38-year career in the police force, she leaves a legacy of achievement as the first woman to lead the New South Wales Police forces and as a commissioner who delivered enduring reforms.”
Webb officially retires from the force on 30 September. Peter Thurtell is currently acting in her role.
Webb’s time in the top job was also met with controversy. She was widely criticised over her handling of the alleged murders of Luke Davis and Jesse Baird, allegedly at the hands of police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon.
In 2023, she denied allegations of a “cover-up” over the Tasering of 95-year-old Clare Nowland. Webb was also scrutinised over $687,000 paid out to three media advisors in two years.
In a statement after she announced her resignation, Minns congratulated Webb saying she had “stood tall in moments of crisis, led significant reform to policing, and staunchly defended law and order in this state”.
Minns said Webb would “leave behind a legacy of substance”, including in leading the response to the Bondi Junction stabbings, and in implementing new “wanding” laws aimed at removing knives from streets.
The NSW opposition welcomed Lanyon’s appointment.
“It’s a strong choice,” said the opposition leader, Mark Speakman, pointing to Lanyon’s record in the NSW police and the Reconstruction Authority.
Referring to the incidents in Lanyon’s past, Speakman said: “He’s human; he’s made mistakes, he’s admitted them. But there can’t be any more.”
Speakman said Lanyon’s biggest challenges are to reverse the 2,800 decline in police staffing numbers and to tackle organised crime.
