23rd May, 2022 Tonga’s new Police Commissioner has taken his Police Officer’s Oath and signed his employment contract with the Government of Tonga in a private ceremony at Tonga Police Headquarters. The Oath was administered by the Chief Magistrate Folau Lokotui.
Commissioner Shane McLennan arrived in Tonga with his wife Sharron on 11 May 2022 and after being released from quarantine last Thursday, he was immediately sworn into office and presented his credentials to the Prime Minister and Minister for Police, the Hon. Hu’akavameiliku.
Commissioner McLennan is the first Australian to hold the office of Commissioner in the Kingdom of Tonga.
“Being the first Australian to be appointed to the role of Commissioner for Tonga Police is an absolute honour and a privilege that I do not take lightly. It is a role that I feel suits my experience and my leadership style. I have a favourite saying that simply says – ONE TEAM – SAME TEAM; to me, this drives everything I do and as Commissioner, it is important that all of us in the Tonga Police work together as a team, no matter where you are stationed or what your role is, we are Tonga Police, we are all on the same team, and we work together to help the communities of Tonga.”
The Commissioner has a broad policing career that spans over 40 years, having commenced with the Queensland Police Service as a police cadet at the tender age of 15. He served the length and breadth of Queensland for over 26 years before laterally transferring to the Australian Federal Police in 2008. With Masters level tertiary qualifications, Shane has a special interest in crisis and emergency management, national security issues and international capacity development, having deployed internationally several times with the AFP and with the United Nations.
Commissioner McLennan is a resilient policing leader with experience in community policing across a number of isolated and difficult postings. When being briefed by members of the Tonga Police Senior Executive on the range of policing services undertaken by Tonga Police, the Commissioner was keen to understand the difficulties faced by officers across the country. When the isolation of the Niua Islands was discussed, Commissioner McLennan fondly reflected upon his time as a Sergeant when he was the Officer in Charge of Mornington Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria where he spent two and a half years with his family in 1992-94, when his two daughters were aged 2 and 4 at the time. The closest backup support was in Mt Isa which was on the mainland of Queensland and over 450 km away. Despite the isolation and remoteness of such a posting, Commissioner McLennan said it was some of the most rewarding times in his police career.
“It is in those isolated postings when you truly develop your skills in community policing, when you value and rely upon the community where you live and work, to assist you in your role as a police officer, and where respect is earned, not taken for granted. Those skills and experiences never let you down, no matter what role you are elevated to later in life, and they serve you well throughout your policing life, as they have done with me.”
Commissioner McLennan also has experience in national and international level investigations, major event planning, search and rescue coordination, counter-terrorism, executive development and training, international liaison and diplomacy, project management and policy development.
He was a designated Detective in both the Queensland Police Service and the Australian Federal Police. He was also a Visiting Fellow at the Australian Institute of Police Management where he worked with the FBI in the USA and led the executive training program for senior officers on the ‘Leadership in Counter-Terrorism – Pacific Region’ program.
Shane is also a long-standing leader and contributor to civil society with many past and current roles involving charity work spanning 30+ years. He is the Founding President of AFP Legacy, the not-for-profit charity supporting police families in need.
Commissioner McLennan is married with two daughters and has four grandchildren. He enjoys the outdoors and all sports, and his current passion is sailing.
ENDS
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