Northern Territory Commissioner of Police, Reece Kershaw APM, today announced the appointment of Ms Kate Vanderlaan and Mr Grant Nicholls as the two new Deputy Commissioners of Police.
Ms Vanderlaan, Deputy Commissioner, Operations, and Mr Nicholls, Deputy Commissioner Capability and Specialist Services, were recommended by a selection panel which comprised senior law enforcement and emergency management executives from across Australia – and chaired by the Commissioner.
“Together, Ms Vanderlaan and Mr Nicholls bring almost 70 years policing experience to their new roles,” Mr Kershaw said.
“Each of these officers displayed superior skills and experience, particularly in relation to their strategic whole of agency and whole of government thinking; change leadership – particularly cultural change; strong leadership; a focus on capability, diversity and inclusion; and a resounding commitment to ensuring our agency works with the community and key stakeholders to achieve a safe and resilient Territory.
“The panel was fortunate to receive applications from a number of highly-experienced and worthy applicants and I would like to thank them all for taking part in the process.”
Ms Vanderlaan is a very experienced officer – commencing with the NT Police in 1979 – who has held a wide range of positions across the Territory giving her a deep understanding of the day to day operations of the agency. While acting as Assistant Commissioner for more than 13 months, she has led and influenced significant outcomes in relation to domestic violence and diversity across the Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services (NTPFES) and the wider community. Ms Vanderlaan is the first woman to be appointed to the role of Northern Territory Deputy Commissioner of Police.
Mr Nicholls is a very experienced Assistant Commissioner from New Zealand Police – having joined in 1985 – who has a proven capacity acting in a Deputy Commissioner role (NZ Police) for the past two years. Mr Nicholls has been seconded to NT Police for the past six months undertaking an internal Capability Audit. His overseas experience includes deployment to Thailand as a Contingent Commander after the Asian tsunami, secondment to Strathclyde Police in Glasgow, as well as time spent in Timor-Leste, the US and Canada, and command training at the Police Staff College, Bramshill, near London.
“Following a lengthy period where acting arrangements have been in place, these new appointments will help to ensure stability in the Northern Territory Police senior executive team, as we continue to deliver on our Vision 2020 goals, and a range of other important initiatives including our Diversity and Inclusion Strategy,” Mr Kershaw said.
“I am confident that our new team is well placed to support our frontline in dealing with the significant challenges we face in our community, as we work to address the incredibly important issues of domestic and family violence, and the misuse of drugs and alcohol.”
