Neil Comrie

Neil Comrie AO, APM
18th Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police
In office 4 January 1993 – 9 March 2001
Preceded by	Kel Glare
Succeeded by	Christine Nixon
Personal details
Born	Murray Neil Comrie (1947-03-10) 10 March 1947 (age 77) Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
Alma mater	RMIT University Deakin University
Occupation	Police officer

Murray Neil Comrie AO, APM (born 10 March 1947 in Ballarat, Victoria), known as Neil Comrie, is a former Australian police officer. He was Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police from 1993 to 2001.

Police career

Neil Comrie joined Victoria Police in 1967, continuing a family line of Victorian police officers including his father and grandfather. Working his way through the ranks, he succeeded in attaining several high-ranking positions in the Queensland Police Force. In 1980 Neil studied at the State College of Victoria at Coburg (which later became part of RMIT University) to complete an Associate Diploma in Criminal Justice Administration. Later he completed a Bachelor of Arts (Police Studies) degree at Deakin University. He was appointed Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police in 1993, succeeding Commissioner Kel Glare.[1]

In May 2000, Comrie considered resigning after facing political pressure from police minister Andre Haermeyer to appoint assistant commissioner Noel Ashby to the vacant position of deputy commissioner, over Comrie's preferred candidate Peter Nancarrow. In December, Comrie announced his retirement from Victoria Police, two years before the end of his contract.[2] Ashby and Nancarrow were considered, but a panel consisting of Premier Steve Bracks, Haermeyer and Lynne Kosky eventually unanimously selected Christine Nixon as his successor.[3]

Post-police career

In 2005, Comrie was appointed by the Commonwealth Ombudsman to investigate and report on the unlawful deportation of Australian citizen Vivian Solon to the Philippines. His report, "Inquiry into the Circumstances of the Vivian Alvarez Matter" was released in October, and was critical of the "catastrophic" handling of the case by the Department of Immigration.[4]

In 2008 Comrie undertook a confidential review which identified "unacceptable risks" within the prison system due to an inability to process intelligence about threats to gangland prisoners. Although the head of the Justice Department, Penny Armytage, was "very concerned", by the 2010 prison death of Carl Williams only some of the 32 recommendations had been implemented.[5]

In November 2009, Premier John Brumby announced that Comrie would be appointed to monitor the implementation of the recommendations of the Royal Commission into the Black Saturday bushfires.[6]

Comrie was appointed President of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade board on 30 June 2010. He held this post until December 2014 before resigning and being replaced by Andi Diamond.[7]

Honours

	Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)	12 June 2000	For service to the community as the Chief Commissioner of Police in Victoria, particularly through the development of strategies to address community safety issues, crime prevention measures and crime investigation.[8]
	Australian Police Medal (APM)	13 June 1994	[9]
	Officer of the Order of St John	6 February 1996	[10]
	National Medal	1982
	Australian Defence Medal

References

1. Alumni Profile: Neil Comrie APM AO Archived 30 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine, RMIT University.
2. Chief police commissioner retires Archived 10 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Stateline Victoria (ABC), 8 December 2000.
3. Silvester, John: Dangerous games: ex-police chief 'almost quit' over pressure to promote Ashby Archived 4 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine, The Age, 15 November 2007.
4. "The World Today - Immigration Dept handled Solon case catastrophically: Report". www.abc.net.au. Archived from the original on 2 April 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
5. McKenzie, Nick; Baker, Richard (19 April 2012). "Comrie jail warning revealed". The Age. Archived from the original on 2 April 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
6. Neil Comrie Announced As Bushfires Royal Commission Interim Report Implementation Monitor Archived 7 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Premier of Victoria, 4 November 2009.
7. Tomazin, Farrah (16 May 2015). "Fire brigade president Andi Diamond hopes her appointment will inspire others". The Age. Archived from the original on 6 July 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
8. "Murray Neil Comrie". honours.pmc.gov.au. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
9. "QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY HONOURS 1994 THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA". Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995). 13 June 1994. p. 5. Archived from the original on 19 October 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
10. "The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem". The London Gazette (54309): 1808. 6 February 1996. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.

Police appointments
Preceded by Kel Glare	Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police 1993–2001	Succeeded by Christine Nixon