“We can’t arrest our way out of domestic violence, it’s too prolific.
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“I’ve still got a lot to give, I’m too young to retire, and I need something that aligns with my values.”
Harrison said Webb would bring decades of experience advocating for victims of domestic violence to her new role.
“Commissioner Webb will play an essential role in consulting with other jurisdictions to ensure we are taking informed action that works. There’s no doubt we can learn from what has and has not worked for other governments,” Harrison said.
The appointment is the state government’s latest salvo in the fight against domestic violence, and comes a year after the introduction of tougher bail monitoring laws in response to the death of Molly Ticehurst in Central West NSW. Her former partner, Daniel Billings, has been charged with her murder.
Webb will march out of Goulburn Police Academy parade ground in late August, and then formally leave the force at the start of September.
Webb was criticised for her handling of the death of Clare Nowland, who was Tasered by serving officer Kristian White.Credit: Sam Mooy
“I attested in Goulburn in an August, 38 years ago. It’ll be important to remind myself that I was here, I’m still here, and my values are the same,” Webb said.
Webb’s time at the top was not without controversy. She was criticised over her handling of the death of great-grandmother Clare Nowland, who was Tasered by officer Kristian White in a Cooma nursing home, and the alleged double murder of couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davies by killer cop Beau Lamarre-Condon.
At the time she replied by quoting Taylor Swift lyrics on breakfast television. “Haters gonna hate”.
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Webb faced regular calls in the media for her resignation, and says she was put under “unprecedented scrutiny”.
“Should I have invested more in other stakeholders? Maybe,” she said in a guarded reference to foes in the media.
“People have read the headlines, I think they can make up their own minds.
“I have bigger fish to fry, and my greater mission is tackling domestic violence in a new career.”
Asked if she felt some of the criticism was motivated by sexism, Webb was again guarded.
“I don’t know, maybe I’ll find out one day,” she said, smiling.
Webb has suffered leaks and negative media attention in her three years in the top job.Credit: Rhett Wyman
Senior police have long told the Herald that Webb struggled with the media, a crucial part of the job.
But they acknowledged her efforts to reform the force’s notorious blokey culture, including initiating a review into sexual harassment within its ranks in October last year.
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On her last day, her deputies insisted her legacy would be felt by the rank-and-file cops joining the force, planning their futures and families.
“She’s got the ability to relate, directly, to our staff, the men and women of the organisation,” Thurtell told the Herald.
“Only 23 of the 70,000 people to wear the uniform have made it to the rank of commissioner, and only one of those has been a female commissioner.
“Hopefully we don’t wait another 164 years to get a second.
“If you don’t look back on that with pride, you must be pretty hard to satisfy.”
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He rattled off a list of changes introduced under Webb including a massive pay bump for officers, flexible work conditions, and restoring the paid training at Goulburn academy.
A second deputy commissioner, Dean Smith, said Webb had approached the top job “with a leadership style of humble elegance”.
“She will be missed, she brings that calmness, and that future focus. She wants us thinking about our people.”
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