THE Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Ray Johnson has been named the new ACT chief police officer.

Starting his career in Canberra, where he undertook both community policing and detective duties, Mr Johnson has 33 years of experience across local, national and international policing. 

Mr Johnson has carried out a full range of community policing and investigations duties both within ACT Policing and across Australia, investigating serious and organised crime at a local and national level.

He has undertaken international missions in East Timor, Cyprus and China where he was the regional manager for AFP international operations in north Asia, based in Beijing.

In 2015, Mr Johnson was promoted to the rank of assistant commissioner and seconded to the Department of Human Services to create and lead a multiagency fraud taskforce. In August 2016 he was appointed to lead the AFP response to the “Cultural Change: Gender Diversity and Inclusion in the AFP” report written by Elizabeth Broderick.

Mr Johnson says he was pleased to be taking on the role of ACT chief police officer. 

“I was born and grew up in the region and I have spent over a third of my career in ACT Policing so I feel very privileged to have this opportunity to return to community policing,” he says. 

 “I look forward to building on the efforts of Assistant Commissioner Justine Saunders and her predecessors, ensuring ACT Policing continues to meet the challenges of the future and the needs of the Canberra community.”

 Mr Johnson will replace the current ACT chief police officer, Justine Saunders, on November 12.