Members
Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan
Commissioner, Western Australia Police
Mr. O’Callaghan was born in the United Kingdom and came to Western Australia with his parents in 1970. He attended Kalamunda Senior High School, completing Year 12 before commencing employment with the Western Australia Police Service, as a Police Cadet in 1974.
He entered the Police Academy in 1975, graduating as Dux of Course 3/75 in January 1976. Mr. O’Callaghan’s policing career has encompassed Police Communications, Port Hedland Police Station, Accident Inquiry Section, Perth, Manjimup Traffic and General Duties, Community Education, and the Police Academy.
In 1996 he was promoted to Superintendent, Professional Standards and in 1998 was appointed to the management of the policing operations of the Northam (now Wheatbelt) District as District Superintendent, and later as District Superintendent Cannington (now South East Metropolitan) District.
Mr. O’Callaghan was then appointed in 2001 to the position of Assistant Commissioner, Strategic & Corporate Development (formerly Policy, Planning & Evaluation). This role included responsibility for the Strategic Plan and Annual Business Planning process, legislative reform, major IT-based business re-engineering projects, replacing the Radio Communications infrastructure (PMRN) together with management of Corporate Projects and major Corporate Reform and implementation of Royal Commission recommendations
In 2004 he was appointed Commissioner of Police following the Kennedy Royal Commission with a clear mandate for extensive cultural and business reform. Implementing the Frontline First Strategy he has lead significant cultural change in policing and has reformed the business and professional practices of the WA Police which are now seen as one of the most innovative policing agencies in Australia.
His qualifications include a Ph.D (Police Reform), Bachelor of Education 1st Class Honours and Bachelor of Arts (Education), from Curtin University of Technology. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Sellenger Centre for Research in Law, Justice and Policing, Edith Cowan University and at Curtin University of Technology.
In 1997 Mr O’Callaghan was awarded a Churchill Fellowship and completed an international study of the development of ethics and professional standards education in police services. In 2008 he was made an International Rotary Foundation’s Paul Harris Fellow for services to the community.
Mr O’Callaghan is married with four children and in his spare time enjoys the leisure pursuits of fishing, diving, music, motorbike riding along with a keen interest in English history. He is a Director on the Board of the Police and Nurses Credit Society, is the Patron of the Make A Wish Foundation and plays in a rock band called The Filth who raise money for worthy charities.
