The NSW Police Force has celebrated the career of Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys APM, at a dinner attended by the Police Commissioner and other senior officers at the NSW Police Academy in Goulburn.
Deputy Commissioner Worboys, who will march out at the Police Attestation Parade tomorrow (Friday 3 December 2021), will mark his final day of operational service on Thursday 30 December 2021 after 40 years of distinguished service.
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys retires after dedicating 40 years to serving the community.
“Gary embodies what a police officer is; dedication, commitment, sacrifice and compassion,” Commissioner Fuller said.
“His work as the State Emergency Operations Controller during the bushfires and the COVID-19 response are just two examples of the accomplishments during his four decades of service.
“I’ve had the privilege to work alongside Gary for many years and I’m proud to call him not only a colleague but also a friend. He will be missed by the women and men in blue; however, we wish him, his wife Deanne, and the family a happy retirement.”
Growing up in Western Sydney, Deputy Commissioner Worboys joined the Force in 1988, spending the early part of his career undertaking operational policing duties in Blacktown, Lismore, Walgett and Lightning Ridge.
He was promoted to the rank of superintendent in 1999 and was the Commander at Goulburn, Monaro, Wollongong and Liverpool Local Area Commands.
In 2013, he was promoted to Assistant Commissioner, Southern Region, where he developed a clear vision for the Region with his focus of ‘Crime, Community and Our People’.
As Southern Region Commander, Mr Worboys was the Corporate Sponsor for Victims of Crime, chair of the Uniform Standards Committee and represented the Force on the Royal Humane Society Board and the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Police Memorial Steering Committee.
In May 2017, he was promoted to Deputy Commissioner, Regional NSW Field Operations, focusing his efforts on connecting remote, rural and regional NSW to ensure the best possible response to crimes and community problem solving, with a large part of those responses informed and shaped by the communities themselves.
Some of his key initiatives and strategies include the officer-in-charge model in country NSW, leading the successful re-engineering of 11 Local Area Commands into seven Police Districts with the model implemented throughout the districts.
This strategy saw each regional police station have a senior officer-in-charge of operations to work closely with and be part of that community.
His passion for country NSW, communities and culture also saw him collaborate and consult with Aboriginal elders and council groups to implement a campaign to raise the Aboriginal flag in front of all NSW police stations and buildings.
Under his direction, the capabilities of rural crime investigations were expanded and led to the formation of the Rural Crime Prevention Team, which is dedicated to preventing, disrupting and responding to rural crime across all of regional and remote NSW.
Deputy Commissioner Worboys service has not gone unrewarded; he has received the Australian Police Medal (APM), ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Police Service Medal, ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Medal with 2nd Clasp, NSW Police Medal with 4th clasp and the ACT Emergency Medal.
Deputy Commissioner Worboys has also attended Australian Institute of Company Directors Program and the Police Executive Leadership Program.
Spending time with family and friends, golfing, fishing and camping are some of the activities Mr Worboys is looking forward to after his retirement.
