Chief Commissioner Shane Patton has today announced the appointment of two new Deputy Commissioners.
Assistant Commissioner Ross Guenther has been appointed to the newly created role of Deputy Commissioner, Public Safety and Security while Assistant Commissioner Neil Paterson has been appointed Deputy Commissioner, Capability.
The appointments come following a highly competitive recruitment process and both promotions are effective immediately.
The creation of the fourth Deputy Commissioner role is the first of a number of structural changes to be announced in the coming months to evolve Victoria Police and ensure its senior leadership team remain focused on community safety.
The Public Safety and Security role will be responsible for Counter Terrorism Command, Crime Command and Transit and Public Safety Command.
These commands were previously spread across two Deputy Commissioner portfolios but have been brought together to create more effective outcomes for policing and the community due to the obvious synergies regarding overall state safety and security.
The Capability position will continue to lead a number of commands such as those responsible for overseeing the Police Academy, ongoing member training and allocating where new police and PSOs will be assigned across the state.
Importantly, this position will also lead the recently announced service delivery reform initiative which will assess everything Victoria Police does with a view to improve customer service and identify any gaps or opportunities for improvement.
Chief Commissioner Patton said: “I am thrilled to be announcing these appointments which will further strengthen the leadership team at Victoria Police.
“Ross Guenther’s extensive operational and business experience gained over 35 years in policing will bring a breadth of specialist and tactical skills which will be of significant value to Executive Command.
“He has an in depth understanding of the community and is trusted and well respected within the organisation and on a national and international level.
“Over the past five years Ross has held key responsibility for Victoria Police regarding counter terrorism as well as previously leading key tactical response areas and is the natural choice to be leading Public Safety and Security.
“Neil Paterson is a highly successful and strategic police leader with over 32 years’ experience where he has consistently delivered outstanding community safety results including leading a raft of intelligence based policing reforms and offender management initiatives.
“His extensive networks nationally and in the international policing and intelligence community will further enable Victoria Police to deliver key safety outcomes for the community.
“Neil’s strategic and innovative approach will ideally position him to drive our key service delivery reform into the future.
“Both officers have been operationally focused, and responsible for delivering key results.”
Deputy Commissioner Guenther said:
‘After the initial excitement of being advised of my appointment to Deputy Commissioner, I thought of all the events and experiences that led to that moment; family, work colleagues, victims, community and mentors.
“It’s really difficult to capture the impact of all of those contributions, but what I am really looking forward to is being a member of an executive team that has a clear focus on community safety.
“I love being part of Victoria Police and hope that my leadership will contribute to making our organisation stronger, healthier and a pinnacle of professionalism.”
Deputy Commissioner Paterson said:
“As a Victorian, I’m really proud to be able to serve Victoria Police and our community as a Deputy Commissioner.
“I’m committed to improving community safety and in ensuring that Victoria Police remains agile to meet the needs of everyone in the community that we serve.”
While both promotions are effective immediately, Deputy Commissioners Guenther and Paterson will commence in their new roles as soon as a smooth transition from their current roles can occur.
This will also allow time for Assistant Commissioner rotations, which are expected to be announced in the coming days.
Beck Angel
