Fair enough to advertise the position, that is required, even though Darren Hine is doing a good job and has the support of the people under him - but two months just to choose the recruitment firm?! This government works like a snail going backwards!

I believe the term such as ‘piss-weak’ to be in order to describe the current State government actions to deliver to Tasmania their new Police Commissioner?

Should Deputy Commissioner Hine not gain the promotion, this in itself could ignite a bothersome citizen inquiry into the internal fixations held by Ms Thorpe and others of her supposed level of responsible capacity?

Were these presumed responsible people engaged in the real-life private industry and or commercial world, they would now be standing in the Centrelink queue?

Why do you need to recruit a recruitment firm, ffs?

I reckon based on all the reports we’re hearing of police skylarking (e.g. in the police boats with their families & taking responsibility for bikie mates demerit points) that Jack Johnston was just unwelcome because he was his own man i.e. he wasn’t a putty-in-the-hands of the real powerbrokers who pull the strings within the police force such as for politcally-motivated police investigations and allowing various underhand things to happen. I don’t think the acting commissioner Darren Hine is quite such a strong personality. He’s probably more inclined to go with the flow and let these cop-powerbrokers do what they want to whereas Johnston was more assertive. So it’s in the powerbrokers’ interests to delay with moving Hine out of the role of “top”-cop-boss. And that’s why the whole Tas Police force was unsupportive of Johnston because he didn’t tolerate the funny business of these cop powerbrokers resulting in them running a smear campaign against him.

What’s the hold-up?  Lennon installed Johnston, without any selection process, in the time it takes to say “presto”.

Although a wide and thorough search for the best candidate would obviously take time, it’s not the sort of thing you normally do in a crony culture.

My guess is that they want an alternative to Hine, but are having trouble finding a recruitment agency ready to play charades.

Paul Mullet might have the qualities they are looking for.

John Hayward

Strange comments from Ben Gould (#5). I would think that if he can’t produce some evidence his theories about the relative acceptabilities of senior officers to the force in general would be better kept to himself.

It’s fair enough to criticise the government for delays to the process - they ARE in theory responsible to all of us - but the choice between candidates for the job is hardly the business of members of the public, most of whom have had no experience of any of them.

If Art imitates Life, or is even just a pale reflection of it, let’s hope that they don’t appoint one of those pissant Top Cops who plague most Pommy detective shows.

You know the sort, full of the piss ‘n’ wind of political correctness, forever ‘addressing issues’, tick-a-boxing ‘the process’, making sure the troops have all their paper work up-to-date before taking any thieves or tackling any thugs, and making sure that the said thugs get a nice cuppa tea -  or a multiculturally-appropriate beverage -  before being asked nicely if they dunnit.

Real coppers need not apply.

Let’s hope Life does not take its cue from Art.