NSW Police officers honoured in Australia Day Awards
Media Release
Ten members of the NSW Police Force have been formally recognised by the Governor-General at this year’s Australia Day Awards.
The Australian Police Medal (APM) is awarded by the Governor-General, General Sir Peter John Cosgrove, AK, MC, for distinguished service by a member of an Australian police force.
The awards are announced twice annually, on Australia Day, and the Queen’s Birthday in June.
Acting NSW Police Commissioner, Catherine Burn, APM, has congratulated the recipients on their nominations and commitment to policing.
“I am tremendously proud to have nine police officers with many years of combined service, as well as a Public Service Medal recipient recognised for their dedication to the NSW Police Force,” Acting Commissioner Burn said.
“These officers are a credit to the NSW Police Force, their colleagues, family, friends and the community.
“The officers bring a wealth of experience and professionalism to the force and I’m happy to thank them for their service and congratulate them on today’s awards. They are all very deserving of recipients.”
The recipients of the APM are:
– Superintendent Jeffrey Frank Conly;
– Inspector Rupert Agnew;
– Inspector Barbara Carroll;
– Senior Sergeant Stephen Horn;
– Detective Senior Constable Philip McCloskey
– Detective Inspector David Gawel
– Detective Inspector Caroline O’Hare
– Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Waterman
– Chief Superintendent Peter Gillam.
In addition to the APM recipients, Ms Diane Elphinstone will receive a Public Service Medal for her contributions to law enforcement in New South Wales.
A summary of this year’s recipients is below.
Superintendent Jeffrey Conly; Commander – State Electronic Evidence Branch
Superintendent Jeffrey Conly joined the New South Wales Police Force as a trainee in 1981 at the NSW Police Academy, Redfern. He attested as a probationary constable in 1981 and was stationed at No. 29 Division (Mona Vale). He was promoted to his current rank in 2012 and posted to his current command in 2003.
Superintendent Conly has dedicated much of his career to specialist policing in the field of technical investigation. He is a professional electrical engineer and an AGSM graduate with Masters in Business and Technology from the University of NSW. He is recognised both nationally and internationally for his knowledge, expertise and commitment to technical investigation to ensure that the NSW Police Force is positioned as a law enforcement leader within Australia.
Superintendent Conly was a member of the corporate review team examining the Water Police in 1995 that resulted in the blueprint for the modern and effective Marine Area Command now in place. He was responsible for the technical security role during the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Superintendent Conly also designed and set up the State Electronic Evidence Branch which continues to meet escalating demand for service with finite resources.
Inspector Rupert Agnew – Duty Officer – Marrickville Local Area Command
Inspector Rupert Agnew joined the New South Wales Police Force as a trainee in 1985 at the NSW Police Academy, Goulburn. He attested as a probationary constable in 1985 and was stationed at Penrith. Inspector Agnew was promoted to his current rank and posted to his current command in 2015.
In the past 15 years, Inspector Agnew’s policing service has greatly centred on his expertise in the very demanding environment of tactical policing. He has held a number of positions within the Australian, New Zealand Counter Terrorism Committee. In those roles, he has been responsible for developing the use of safety standards for specialist operations by Australian police tactical teams. He is regarded as a subject matter expert in this field. He has performed Counter Terrorism Security duties for the Sydney Olympics, Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006, APEC 2007 and G20 in 2014.
Inspector Agnew is also an active member of the Australian Army Reserve, joining in 1981. He has seen active service in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Inspector Barbara Carroll – Manager – Policelink Child Wellbeing Unit
Inspector Barbara Carroll joined the New South Wales Police Force in 1990 after being transferred from the State Rail Authority as a transit police officer. In 1999, she was confirmed as a constable and stationed at the Transit Police Brisbane Water Local Area Command. She was promoted to her current rank in 2012 and posted to her current command in that same year.
Inspector Carroll has developed a strong background in child protection and domestic violence through her criminal investigation duties with the Joint Investigation Response Team. During 2012, she established a performance and quality management framework for all staff within her unit. This saw an increase in referrals of child at risk cases to non-government agencies. Her unit is seen as the benchmark for child wellbeing units by the Department of Premier and Cabinet and the Ombudsman. She has worked tirelessly to promote improved performance within the New South Wales Police Force in dealing with children at risk.
Detective Senior Sergeant Stephen Horn – Forensic Intelligence and Results Management Unit
Detective Senior Sergeant Stephen Horn joined the New South Wales Police Force as a trainee in 1968, at the NSW Police Academy, Redfern. He attested as a probationary constable in 1968 and was stationed at No. 26 Division (Merrylands). He was promoted to his current rank in 1993 and posted to his current command in 2008.
Detective Senior Sergeant Horn has dedicated over 40 years of his policing service to the forensic field. He has witnessed the evolution of forensic science and has recently been instrumental in the application of DNA analysis on cold cases. He has performed duties at some of Australia’s worst disasters, including the Granville train disaster in 1977. In 1992, Detective Senior Sergeant Horn was part of an international contingent of forensic police officers deployed to the Ukraine to assist the War Crimes Prosecution Support Unit, in the exhumation of human remains buried in two mass graves. From 2008 to 2012, he has worked on the DNA Cold Case Justice Project which assisted investigators in identifying 27 individuals who were charged with sexual assaults from the 1980s through the late 1990s.
Detective Senior Constable Philip McCloskey – Rural Crime Investigator – Monaro Rural Crime
Detective Senior Constable Philip McCloskey joined the New South Wales Police Force as a trainee in 1977 at the NSW Police Academy, Redfern. He attested as a probationary constable in 1977, where he was stationed at No. 13 Division (Campsie). He was promoted to his current rank in 1986 and posted to his current command in 1990.
Detective Senior Constable McCloskey has dedicated a majority of his 37 years of policing to the people of regional and rural New South Wales in the field of investigation of rural crime. During this period he has mentored countless subordinates as a training officer, mentor and supervisor. He is respected amongst his subordinates and peers as well as in Queensland for his contribution to the Queensland Police rural crime training program. He is often described by senior police as the most knowledgeable and experienced rural crime investigator in NSW.
Detective Senior Constable McCloskey’s knowledge of the complex field of primary industry, wool production, agriculture, crops and livestock is second to none and he is regularly used as source of advice to both internal and external bodies.
Detective Chief Inspector David Gawel – Coordinator – CTST Terrorism Investigation
Detective Chief Inspector David Gawel joined the New South Wales Police Force as a trainee in 1987 at the NSW Police Academy, Goulburn. He attested as a probationary constable in 1987 and was stationed at Flemington. He was promoted to his current rank in 2006 and posted to his current command in 2003.
Detective Chief Inspector Gawel has dedicated a majority of his career to the criminal investigation field and, in the past 12 years, specifically to counter terrorism investigation. He is considered one of the most experienced counter terrorism investigators in Australia and is respected by his colleagues both within the NSW Police Force and the many external agencies, including across all Australian and New Zealand policing jurisdictions, the Commonwealth Attorney General’s Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States, and the Israeli National Police. He has been on the frontline of counter terrorism investigations which directly resulted in the disruption and prevention of terrorist attacks in NSW.
Detective Chief Inspector Caroline O’Hare – Commander – CTST Strategy Unit
Detective Chief Inspector Caroline O’Hare joined the New South Wales Police Force as a junior trainee in 1981 at the NSW Police Academy, Redfern. She attested as a probationary constable in 1981 and was stationed at No. 11 Division (Petersham). She was promoted to her current rank in 2000 and posted to her current command in 2003.
Throughout her 34-year career, Detective Chief Inspector O’Hare has attained a wealth of experience and expertise where she is an accredited intelligence analyst, accredited police prosecutor, accredited police negotiation team leader, nationally accredited counter terrorism negotiation team leader and counter terrorism expert, researcher and lecturer. She has attained a Diploma in Law, Bachelor of Policing (Prosecutions), Bachelor in Criminology and admitted as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.
Detective Chief Inspector O’Hare has demonstrated a rare combination of leadership and foresight with her involvement and development of the NSW Police counter terrorism response. The Strategy Unit was established in 2007 and was the first unit of its kind in Australia, conducting research and providing advice on policy, practice and procedure to counter terrorism. She has been a spokesperson for the Counter Terrorism Command both in Australia and overseas. She is a university lecturer and subject coordinator for ‘Counter Terrorism Studies’ at Charles Sturt University.
Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Waterman – Coordinator – Child Abuse Squad – State Crime Command
Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Waterman joined the New South Wales Police Force as a junior trainee in 1980 at the NSW Police Academy, Redfern. He attested as a probationary constable in 1980 and was stationed at No. 6 Division (North Sydney). He was promoted to his current rank in 2005 and posted to his current command in 2014.
Detective Chief Inspector Waterman has dedicated the majority of his 35 years of policing to the criminal investigation field where he has a reputation as a professional criminal investigator, having either been part of the investigation team or coordinated many of the high profile investigations undertaken by NSW Police Force. In his current role with the Child Abuse Squad, Detective Chief Inspector Waterman has forged a longstanding relationship with many stakeholders to assist in the collective efforts to investigate and reduce child abuse. His knowledge in the field of criminal investigation is often called upon by others for advice and guidance. As a senior member of the NSW Police Force, he has gained the greatest of respect of admiration by his superiors, peers and those he leads.
Chief Superintendent Peter Gillam – Commander – Liverpool Local Area Command
Chief Superintendent Peter Gillam joined the New South Wales Police Force as a trainee in 1978 at the NSW Police Academy, Redfern. He attested as a probationary constable in 1978 and was stationed at No. 22 Division (Liverpool). He was promoted to his current rank in 2003 and posted to his current command in 2013.
Chief Superintendent Gillam has for the majority of his 37 year policing career undertaken roles in general policing, tactical policing and witness security within regional New South Wales and Metropolitan Sydney. He is a trained police negotiator and was responsible for the development of the NSW Police Force Witness Protection Program to an internationally-recognised level. He was responsible for the post 9/11 enhancements to the NSW Police tactical counter terrorism response and was the NSW Police representative on sub-committee of the Australian and New Zealand Counter Terrorism Committee on operational response. He is a member of the NSW Police Advisory Group on Active Shooter Guideline, and is considered a subject matter expert regarding the management of high risk incidents.
Ms Diane Elphinstone – Office of Deputy Commissioner – Field Operations
Ms Diane Elphinstone has been recognised for almost 30 years of service to NSW with the awarding of the Public Service Medal.
From 1982, Diane worked with various Commonwealth and State law enforcement agencies and joined the NSW Police in 1997. She has worked for the last three Police Commissioners, providing high level advice on policy and procedural matters.