The new boss of the police Northern Region was involved in the hunt for fugitive murderer Malcolm Naden, helped smash a pedophile ring and launched an outreach program to cut Aboriginal youth crime in Dubbo.
Police Minister David Elliott announced nine senior police appointments on Thursday, including promoting Orana Mid-Western Police District commander Peter McKenna to take over from the retiring Max Mitchell as Northern Region assistant commissioner on July 1.
Former Newcastle City district commander Brett Greentree, who was touted as a possible replacement for Assistant Commissioner Mitchell, was appointed assistant commissioner of the vast Western Region.
Detective Superintendent McKenna will take charge of a command which stretches from the Hawkesbury River to the Queensland border and includes the Newcastle City, Lake Macquarie, Port Stephens and Hunter Valley police districts.
One of his first tasks will be to help oversee the 12-month trial of suspended lockouts in Newcastle pubs and clubs, which starts on the day he takes over.
He was appointed commander of the Orana Mid-Western Police District in late 2017.
He began his career as a constable at Castle Hill in 1990 before moving into criminal investigations seven years later in northern NSW. He was promoted to detective sergeant at Forster Police Station in 2002 then inspector in the Manning/Great Lakes area in 2006.
Detective Superintendent McKenna was involved in the hunt for Naden under Strike Force Durkin and in major operations targeting outlaw motorcycle gangs and pedophiles.
He has also been credited with helping set up Project Walwaay, a police outreach program which has helped reduce Aboriginal youth crime in the Dubbo area.
Assistant Commissioner Mitchell announced in February that he would retire this year after four decades on the force and four years in charge of Northern Region.
Superintendent Greentree, who became Newcastle district police commander in late 2017, took charge of the NSW Police Communications and Security Command in Sydney last year before his imminent switch to Western Region.
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