Karen Webb
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Commissioner of the New South Wales Police Force | |
Assumed office 1 February 2022 | |
Preceded by | Mick Fuller |
Personal details | |
Born | Karen Leanne Keefe (1969-12-25) 25 December 1969 (age 54) Boorowa, New South Wales, Australia |
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Karen Leanne Webb, APM (née Keefe)[1] is an Australian police officer, who replaced Mick Fuller as the Commissioner of the New South Wales Police Force in February 2022.[2] Webb is the first woman appointed to this office.[3][4]
Webb was born and raised in Boorowa in the south western slopes of New South Wales, and attended Boorowa Central School.[5][6]
Webb joined NSW Police in 1987 and previously was responsible for traffic and highway patrol and public transport.[3] She joined the Castle Hill Police Station, in the 1990s at a time when 10% of police officers were women, and grew to 35% as at 2021.[7] She later stated in 2021 that she "look[s] forward to growing our diversity and inclusion in the organisation".[7] Webb was the first woman to lead Traffic and Highway Patrol, since 2020.[3] She was promoted in 2017 to assistant commissioner, and subsequently moved to deputy commissioner in July 2021.[3] She has been a Board Member of NSW Police Legacy since 2018, and Vice-Patron since 2022.[8]
On 1 February 2022, Webb was formally appointed as Commissioner of the New South Wales Police Force.[2] Previous police commissioner ceremonies were traditionally held at Government House in Sydney, but Webb chose to accept her appointment in her alma mater at Boorowa Central School.[6]
Webb was awarded the Australian Police Medal in the 2015 Australia Day Honours.[1][9]
Police appointments | ||
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Preceded by | Commissioner of the New South Wales Police Force 2022–present |
Incumbent |