Mick Palmer (police commissioner)

This article is about the Australian police commissioner. For the Australian politician, see Mick Palmer (Australian politician).

For other people named Michael Palmer, see Michael Palmer (disambiguation).

Michael John Palmer, AO, APM (b. 1941) is a retired Australian police officer and lawyer who was the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police.

Mick Palmer AO, APM
Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police
In office June 1994 – 2 April 2001
Preceded by	Peter McAulay
Succeeded by	Mick Keelty
Chief Police Officer of ACT Policing
In office 1995–1999
Preceded by	Peter Dawson
Succeeded by	William Stoll
Commissioner of Northern Territory Police
In office 1988–1994
Preceded by	Peter McAulay
Succeeded by	Brian Bates
Personal details
Born	Michael John Palmer 1941 (age 82–83) Coventry, England
Profession	Police officer, lawyer

Early life

Mick Palmer was born in Coventry, England, in 1941. The Palmer family moved to Australia in 1953 and in 1963 Michael "Mick" Palmer joined the Northern Territory Police.

Policing career

Palmer reached the position of inspector in 1975. Between 1979 and 1982 he completed his law degree then practiced at the Queensland bar. In late 1983 he returned to the NT police as chief inspector, taking the top job as police commissioner in January 1988. Palmer became AFP commissioner in June 1994 and officially retired with the swearing-in of his replacement Mick Keelty in April 2001. Mick Palmer conducted the Palmer Inquiry, an inquiry into the unlawful detention of Australian Citizen, Cornelia Rau as an illegal immigrant.^[1]

Between 2004 and 2012 he was the Federal Government's Inspector of Transport Security, a position created after the 9/11 and Bali bombing terrorist incidents to review air, sea and land transport and off-shore critical infrastructure and advise government of the efficiency and effectiveness of existing security arrangements.^[2]

Recognition

Palmer is a recipient of the Australian Police Medal and in 1998 was admitted as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for his work in "advancing the professionalisation of policing through the introduction of far-reaching anti-corruption processes and management practice reform."^[3][4]

In 1999 the Board of Governors of Charles Sturt University conferred Palmer with the award of Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) for his contribution to advancing policing in Australia.^[5]

	Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)	26 January 1998, "For service to advancing the professionalisation of policing through the introduction of far-reaching anti-corruption processes and management practice reform."[4]
	Australian Police Medal (APM)	26 January 1988, "For distinguished police service".[3]
	National Medal with Rosette	1988[6] and 1998.[7] For 25–34 years of service.

See also

• Law enforcement in Australia

References

1. "Top cop a former barrister". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
2. "Mick Palmer – Harm Reduction Australia". www.harmreductionaustralia.org.au. 26 August 2015.
3. "It's an Honour – Honours – Search Australian Honours". www.itsanhonour.gov.au.
4. "Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)". Australian Honours Database. 31 March 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
5. "Citation for conferral of a Doctor of Letters" (PDF). csu.edu.au. 14 May 1999.
6. "It's an Honour – Honours – Search Australian Honours". www.itsanhonour.gov.au.
7. "It's an Honour – Honours – Search Australian Honours". www.itsanhonour.gov.au.

Police appointments
Preceded by Peter McAulay	Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police 1994–2001	Succeeded by Mick Keelty
Preceded by Peter Dawson	Chief Police Officer of ACT Policing 1995–1999	Succeeded by William Stoll
Preceded by Peter McAulay	Commissioner of the Northern Territory Police 1988–1994	Succeeded by Brian Charles Bates