Future Strategic Leaders' Program
February Sydney Seminar
Leadership in Tough Times
Deputy Commissioner Nick Kaldas APM
Field Operations, NSW Police Force
Tuesday 19 February 2013
Deputy Commissioner Kaldas joined the NSW Police Force in 1981. His career spans a number of areas primarily in major crime investigations, Homicide, Armed Robbery, Major Drug investigations, Counter Terrorism and covert operations.
Among other major investigations, he led the high profile investigation into the murder of a Member of Parliament, John NEWMAN, resulting in the conviction and life sentence of Phuong Canh NGO for what the Court described as Australia's first political assassination.
In 1999-2000 he established and led the Crime Management Framework for the Olympic Investigations Strike Force.
In 2000-2004 he was the Commander, Homicide Squad, State Crime Command.
In January 2004 he was seconded to the Federal Government and deployed to Iraq, initially as Senior Police Adviser, National Operations, then as Deputy Chief Police Adviser to the Iraqi Government, under the Coalition Provisional Authority, Iraq. In 2005 he was again seconded to the Federal Government and redeployed to Iraq to assist with establishing the Iraqi Special Tribunal, (Regime War Crimes, the body tasked with prosecuting Saddam Hussein and his senior cadre of officials).
From 2004-2006 he was the Commander, Gangs Squad, State Crime Command.
From 2006-2007 he was the Assistant Commissioner, Counter Terrorism and Special Tactics Command.
In late 2007, he was appointed Deputy Commissioner, Specialist Operations, responsible for Counter Terrorism and Special Tactics, Forensic Services, Special Services Group, State Crime Command, Business Technology Services, Professional Standards Command, Police Prosecutors, and the Operational Communications and Information Command.
In 2009-2010, he took up a 12-month secondment as Chief of Investigations in the Special Tribunal for Lebanon which was established by the United Nations Security Council to investigate the assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafiq Hariri, and a number of related assassinations and attempted assassinations.
In August 2011, he was appointed Deputy Commissioner, Field Operations, responsible for all six NSW Regions, the Major Events and Incidents Group, Traffic and Highway Patrol Command and the Police Transport Command.
Deputy Commissioner Kaldas was a Police (Hostage) Negotiator for over 10 years, achieving national Counter Terrorist level, and completed the F.B.I. Hostage Negotiators Course in Quantico, Virginia in 1996. He is a graduate of both the Leadership in Counter Terrorism Program (FBI-AIPM) and the Police Executive Leadership Program (AIPM). He is also a graduate and has been a Visiting Fellow of, the Management of Serious Crime Program (AFP). He has also completed the XXXIV Session of the FBI National Executive Institute. He holds a Masters Degree in Public Policy and Administration.
Deputy Commissioner Kaldas has been awarded 5 Commissioners' Commendations, the Australian Police Medal, the Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal, the National Medal and clasp, and the NSW Police Medal.
