The changing face of police top brass

Saturday, 4 October 2025

It all began when former top cop Andrew Coster announced he was stepping down as police commissioner, five months earlier than expected.

From there, the dominoes fell fast.

First to go was deputy commissioner Chris de Wattignar, who left amid a restructure of the policing upper echelons.

Next came second-in-command, deputy commissioner Jevon McSkimming, who resigned after child exploitation and bestiality imagery was allegedly found on his work computer.

In quick succession, deputy commissioner Tania Kura and assistant commissioner Paul Basham then announced their retirements. (Deputy commissioners sit directly below the police commissioner, with assistant commissioners underneath them.)

In just a handful of months, five of the country’s highest-ranking police officers were gone ‒ and with them, a swathe of institutional knowledge and leadership stability.

A changing of the guard

When the new Government took office in October 2023, the stage for change was set.

And, after tensions emerged between freshly appointed Police Minister Mark Mitchell and Coster, the seeds for a shakeup of the police hierarchy had well and truly been sown.

Just over a year later, change began in earnest when Coster hung up his policing blues for the last time in November 2024, taking on a role at the Social Investment Agency, and Richard Chambers returned from a secondment with Interpol in France to take the helm.

McSkimming had previously leapfrogged Chambers into the deputy commissioner role, primed to step into Coster’s shoes if he became ill or incapacitated.

From the start, Chambers made his priorities clear: a focus on core policing; supporting frontline safety and well being; ensuring connected and accountable leadership; and delivering value for money.

To meet these goals, in January he announced plans to reduce the size of the police executive. “I felt the police have become far too top heavy and bloated,” Chambers told The Post this week.

The restructure cut 19 senior positions and will save an estimated $2 million annually. Among those who left as a result were Wattignar, assistant commissioner Sandra Venables and deputy chief executive Pieri Munro.

But far bigger troubles were brewing at police HQ.

In May, the minister dropped a bombshell: McSkimming ‒ one of two candidates interviewed to replace Coster ‒ had resigned amid a criminal investigation.

Media soon reported that objectionable material had been allegedly found on one of his work devices. McSkimming remains before the courts on eight charges of possessing objectionable publications, spanning from July 2020 to August 2024.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority launched its own investigation into McSkimming’s alleged wrongdoing, and whether there had been misconduct or negligence of duty by any other police officer or employee in the course of responding to allegations about McSkimming.

At the time, The Post reported that former police commissioner Coster and other senior officers would be interviewed as part of the investigation. The results of the investigation have not yet been publicly released.

The wave of departures continued.

In July, Jane Archibold left her non-sworn policing role as executive director of media and communications.

Then, on July 24, Kura announced her retirement after 37 years of policing. She was the first female to act in the role of police commissioner on an interim basis and the first female deputy commissioner. Kura remains on long service leave, officially leaving in November.

On September 15, Basham announced he too would be retiring (he will remain on long service leave until the end of January), and assistant commissioner Mike Rusbatch retired on September 19.

The only Tier 2 employee (just below the commissioner) remaining from Coster’s tenure is chief operating officer Andrea Conlan.

In less than a year, one commissioner, three deputy commissioners, three assistant commissioners, and at least two senior executives had left in what is likely the biggest policing leadership shakeup in recent memory.

A new vision

While the reasons behind the exodus are complex and varied, some level of churn is always expected when a new commissioner comes in, Chambers told The Post.

“I’ve come in and set a very different direction with very different priorities to my predecessor. I’ve been clear that I want to have a heavy operational focus and support the frontline, and some of those changes are still bedding in.

“Some people were going to retire anyway but I think it’s fair to say some people have made the decision to leave based on the direction I’ve set not being something they want to be part of.”

In particular, Chambers is keen to build a “back to basics” approach to policing that prioritises public safety.

This, Police Association President Chris Cahill said, aligned with what frontline officers wanted to see.

“Over recent years we’ve seen policing stray into areas that weren’t actually for police to do. It meant we haven’t been able to do the best in some areas because we’ve been doing a good job in many. This is reversing that.”

While there was always a “significant level of change when a new commissioner comes onboard”, the number of high-level leaders lost was “certainly unusual,” he added.

Minister Mitchell also acknowledged the “sweeping change” among high-ranking officers, but said in his view it was a positive thing.

“One of the great things about policing is that there is change and movement, and so many opportunities. There’s a lot of detail that we can’t speak to yet, but becoming police minister I was faced with some fairly significant challenges.”

So, was it a clean-out? “I wouldn’t phrase it like that, I’d say it’s a renewal,” Mitchell said.

Steady waters ahead?

As the dust settles, the question then becomes: who will fill the vacant roles?

On August 18, the Public Service Commissioner posted a job ad seeking “two experienced and highly credible leaders to serve as Deputy Commissioners of Police”.

By the end of October, these two statutory roles are expected to be in place, with a corresponding refresh of assistant commissioners to fill any gaps. Chambers expects to maintain two deputy commissioners, rather than the three under Coster.

Among the names floated as those who could move into the top roles are acting deputy commissioners Jill Rogers and Mike Johnson, as well as assistant commissioner Mike Pannett, who is in charge of national and international security.

“There are a number of very capable and talented staff who are ready to step up in the organisation. I am a believer in giving promising people a chance to excel and take on extra responsibilities and this has allowed me to do that,” Chambers said.