Photo: Mick Fuller has been confirmed as NSW Police Commissioner. (AAP: Dean Lewins)

Mick Fuller confirmed as NSW Police Commissioner to replace Andrew Scipione in the top job

By police reporter Jessica Kidd

30 Mar 2017,

(Translation of this article appears in Arabic section)

Mick Fuller has been appointed as the next NSW Police Commissioner, taking over from Andrew Scipione, after a long-running race for the top job.

The State Government has confirmed the Assistant Commissioner as the successful candidate, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Police Minister Troy Grant announced today.

"I am very glad that the robust selection process has delivered an excellent new commissioner," Ms Berejiklian said.

"The depth of talent in the top tiers of NSW Police, and among those external candidates who put their hand up for the job was extraordinary."

Mr Fuller said it was "the greatest privilege" for a police officer to be nominated for the role.

"I believe I bring a strong background in operational policing over 16 years as a commissioned officer and the last seven at the executive level," he said.

"From my perspective our vision will be clearly on the community of NSW and that is the entire community."

"We need to get the structure right because if we get the structure right we can fight terrorism, not just in a response but we can disrupt it, we can prevent it.

"We can fight organised crime, not just responding to it but prevent it and disrupt it."

Mr Fuller has beaten more than half a dozen high-profile candidates, including Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn and former deputy commissioner Nick Kaldas.

The NSW Government voted on his appointment at a Cabinet meeting this morning.

Appointment reflects generational change

Mr Fuller has been a rising star within the NSW Police Force and his appointment as Commissioner indicates the NSW Government wants to see generational change within the ranks.

At just 49, he was one of the younger and less experienced contenders in the race to be Commissioner.

But he has also distinguished himself during his 29 years of service and he is well positioned to lead the force out of a period which has been marred by the public stoush between Deputy Commissioner Burn and Mr Kaldas.

Mr Fuller was sworn in as a general duties officer at Kogarah in 1987 at the age of 19.

He worked as a detective and local area commander before rising through the ranks to become an Assistant Commissioner and Commander of the Southern region in 2010.

He was promoted to Commander of the Central Metropolitan region in 2014 and spearheaded major operations such as the APEC Summit, the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, New Years Eve and Operation Hammerhead, which was formed in response to the heightened national terrorism alert.

Mr Fuller is also the police force's chief advocate against domestic violence and has led a number of high-profile strategies to target perpetrators and reduce rates of violence.

Who's who of those overlooked for the top job

Assistant Commissioner Jeff Loy and Australian Border Force chief Roman Quaedvlieg were understood to also have been frontrunners in the race to be the next Commissioner.

But Mr Loy appears to have been pipped by Mr Fuller's higher profile, and Mr Quaedvlieg likely lost out in favour of a candidate from within the NSW Police Force.

Deputy Commissioner Burn also threw her hat into the ring and was certainly one of the most senior and experienced serving officers to apply.

But her role in an internal police-bugging investigation and the Lindt Cafe siege and subsequent evidence to the coronial inquiry may well have worked against her.

Mr Kaldas, as a former deputy commissioner, also applied for the position and had long been considered a favourite among politicians.