Former Canberra policeman Simon Overland is widely expected to be the next Victoria Police chief commissioner after Christine Nixon announced yesterday that she would end her almost eight-year tenure.
Ms Nixon, the first women to head an Australian police force, ended months of speculation by saying she would not seek an extension to her contract, but would stay on until March as the state Government searched for a successor.
However, it is widely believed that Deputy Commissioner Overland, a former Australian Federal Police assistant commissioner who is in charge of the crime department, will be the No1 option.
Mr Overland is also rumoured to be considered as a contender to replace embattled AFP Commissioner Mick Keelty whenever he leaves the post.
Mr Overland was known to have spent time with Prime Minister and cabinet secretary Terry Moran when he headed the Victorian Premier's department, and has worked for Labor politicians in the past.
He is also seen as bright and successful, having overseen the work of the Purana taskforce to end the vicious, decade-long gangland war.
Ms Nixon and Premier John Brumby both declined to name a successor during yesterday's announcement, saying the process would be thorough, transparent, and include national and international applicants.
Ms Nixon made the final decision on Friday, and said she would consider further work in government and perhaps academia, and aims to travel.
''On a personal level, I think I'm at the right age to pursue other interests,'' she said.
''It's taken a great deal of passion and resilience to be Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police. It hasn't been a quiet time.
''I could have enjoyed a much quieter life if I'd let many things go by, but that was not what was needed for Victoria Police, that was not why I was hired by the Government.''
She leaves with a legacy of reform, some controversial, that includes stronger anti-corruption measures, the disbanding of the drug squad and armed offenders squad, and a greater focus on recruiting women, homosexuals and ethnic minorities.
Ms Nixon has been a policewoman for 36 years, mostly in NSW, and said her decision to leave was influenced by the early departures of former premier Steve Bracks and National Australia Bank chief executive John Stewart.
Recent controversy concerning a free trip on the star-studded debut flight of the Qantas A380 to Los Angeles had no bearing on the decision.
Mr Brumby said Ms Nixon was ''the best'' chief commissioner the state had seen, and the Government could not have asked for better.
''We have worked very closely,'' he said.
''I don't think there's any job that's more difficult than that of a chief police commissioner, and over the last seven years I think we've seen extraordinary progress, we've seen extraordinary achievements.''
Police Association assistant secretary Bruce McKenzie said the time for interstate experimentation was over and there was more than enough talent within senior ranks to fill the top job.
When asked whether that included Mr Overland, he said the former AFP officer ''probably considers himself a Victorian''.
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