Following 38 years as a member of the NSW Police Force, former Boorowa Central School student, Commissioner Karen Webb APM confirmed she will retire in September after having stepped into the role of Commissioner in February 2022.
The former local made the announcement of her retirement last week with her explaining that she had come to the decision following discussions with her family.
Commissioner Webb said she had planned to announce her retirement on May 18 to commemorate the date she walked into the Goulburn Police Academy 38 years ago.
The Commissioner said her role as the first female police commissioner has been her greatest honour.
“I have recommended to the government that Deputy Commissioner Peter Thurtell act in my role,” Commissioner Webb said.
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“I knew when the time was right I would know, and I wanted to give the State Government time to recruit and appoint a new Commissioner going into an election period in less than two years’ time,” she said.
Commissioner Webb will officially be farewelled from the force when she walks off the parade ground at the Goulburn Police Academy at the next attestation in August.
The Commissioner is in discussions with the Government about working in critical areas specifically around women’s safety and domestic violence.
Commissioner Webb became the first woman to lead the Traffic and Highway Patrol before being promoted to assistant commissioner in 2017 and deputy commissioner in 2021 and when she became commissioner she pledged to focus on children as well as victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
During her time as Commissioner the domestic and family violence register and an anonymous sexual assault reporting system has been put into place by NSW Police.
The Commissioner helped to secure a 19 percent pay rise over four years for officers, a monumental achievement and announced an independent review into police culture.
Police Minister Yasmin Catley paid tribute to Commissioner Webb in parliament calling her a trailblazer and applauding her for working tirelessly for the community and the betterment of the NSW Police Force.
Though she achieved so much in her time in the role, the Commissioner has faced calls from some media commentators to resign and had to deny that she was seeking an early retirement in response from her critics.
There have been a number of high profile cases that the Commissioner has had to oversee during her time in the role including the Westfield Bondi Junction stabbing, the Dural caravan allegedly filled with explosives as well as many other cases locals will have seen on the news over the past three years.
It is also worth noting that the Commissioner has made the effort to return to Boorowa on a number of occasions since she has been in the top job and spent time speaking with locals, students and the media.
