Released 17/10/2018
Today I announced the appointment of Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Ray Johnson APM as the new ACT Chief Police Officer.
Assistant Commissioner Johnson has 33 years of experience across local, national and international policing. He stared his policing career in Canberra where he undertook both community policing and detective duties.
Since joining the AFP in 1985, Assistant Commissioner Johnson has carried out a full range of community policing and investigations duties both within ACT Policing and across Australia, investigating serious and organised crime at a local and national level. He has undertaken international missions in East Timor, Cyprus and China where he was the regional manager for AFP international operations in north Asia, based in Beijing.
He has held diverse command roles leading Special Operations, Professional Standards and AFP operations in both the Northern Territory and New South Wales.
In 2015, he was promoted to the rank of Assistant Commissioner and seconded to the Department of Human Services to create and lead a multiagency fraud taskforce. In August 2016 he was appointed to lead the AFP response to the Cultural Change: Gender Diversity and Inclusion in the AFP report written by Elizabeth Broderick.
Assistant Commissioner Johnson holds a Bachelor of Arts from Monash University, a Masters in Strategic Affairs from the Australian National University and is a Vincent Fairfax Fellow. He was awarded the Australian Police Medal in 2013 and received a group citation for bravery for service in East Timor. Assistant Commissioner Johnson is also a White Ribbon Association Ambassador.
I am very pleased to welcome Assistant Commissioner Johnson into the role of ACT Chief Police Officer. I know his experience across local, national and international policing issues will be of great value to the service and the wider Canberra community.
I have no doubt the close working relationship between the ACT Government and ACT Policing will continue with the appointment of Assistant Commissioner Johnson.
I would like to thank outgoing ACT Chief Police Officer Assistant Commissioner Justine Saunders for her unwavering commitment to keeping our community safe. I wish her all the best for the next stage of her career.
Assistant Commissioner Johnson will start in the role on 12 November.
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Andrew Colvin said Assistant Commissioner Johnson has the right combination of skills and experience to ensure ACT Policing continues to provide excellent service to the Canberra community.
“The appointment of Assistant Commissioner Johnson, one of our most senior and experienced officers, is recognition of the importance of the role of Chief Police Officer to the ACT Community, and I echo the Minister in welcoming him to the role,” Commissioner Colvin said.
Assistant Commissioner Johnson said he was pleased to be taking on the role of ACT Chief Police Officer after a decades-long career in the Australian Federal Police.
“I was born and grew up in the region and I have spent over a third of my career in ACT Policing so I feel very privileged to have this opportunity to return to community policing,” Assistant Commissioner Johnson said.
“I look forward to building on the efforts of Assistant Commissioner Justine Saunders and her predecessors, ensuring ACT Policing continues to meet the challenges of the future and the needs of the Canberra community.”
- Statement ends -
Mick Gentleman, MLA | Media Releases
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