Commander Geoff Turner from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in Canberra is expected to be appointed as Tonga’s new Police Commissioner, with his swearing-in ceremony set for 12 May. Meanwhile, Police Commissioner Shane McLennan is nearing the end of his 3-year term with Tonga Police, with his Marching Out Parade scheduled for Friday, 9 May.
Tonga Police stated yesterday that the Judicial Appointments and Discipline Panel of the Privy Council has chosen Commander Geoff Turner to be Tonga's next Police Commissioner, with the approval of King Tupou VI.
He is currently serving as a Commander with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in Canberra, Australia.
New Zealand born Cmdr. Turner served as an officer in the Royal New Zealand Navy before migrating to Australia in 1990, where he joined the AFP in Canberra. His policing included drug and organised crime operations in the AFP Sydney Office.
From 1995 to 1998, Cmdr. Turner was seconded to the New South Wales Police Force as a Detective in the joint Vietnamese Drug and Gang Squad.
In 1998, he undertook close personal protection duties on the Israeli Consul Generals Team in Sydney before deploying to Cyprus and then East Timor (now Timor Leste) with the United Nations.
“He returned to Australia in 2002 and was promoted to Detective Sergeant where he rewrote the recruit training syllabus at the Police College. Following further investigative roles in the Serious and Organised Crime Branch and then Program Manager for Police Recruit Training from 2006-2008, He deployed once again to Timor Leste as a homicide detective with the United Nations Police, and in 2010 as a detective inspector, he deployed to Afghanistan as part of AFP's Operation Illuminate.”
In 2012 he returned to Australia and undertook a leading investigative role as a Detective Superintendent as part of the AFP's money laundering task force.
In 2015, he transferred to AFP intelligence where he established the convergence and targeting teams, until once again deploying to Tenor Leste in 2017 as the Contingent Commander working with the Policia Nacional de Timor Leste until May 2020.
In 2021, he was promoted to Commander and was seconded to the New South Wales Crime Commission as the acting Assistant Commissioner of Crime.
On his return to the AFP, he undertook duties as the Commander of Specialist Operations, a role that encompassed numerous capabilities including Search and Rescue, Canine Operations and Tactical Operations.
He has degrees in Business (Marketing and Public Relations) and Policing (Investigations), and Master's degrees, in business and management. and a second in anti-money laundering and counter terrorism finance.
