Anthony Raymond Lauer, (19 December 1935 – 30 November 2022) was an Australian police officer who served as the

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...

of the

New South Wales Police The New South Wales Police Force is a law enforcement agency of the state of New South Wales, Australia, established in 1862. With more than 17,000 police officers, it is the largest police organisation in Australia, policing an area of 801,60 ...

from 1991 until 1996. In February 1996, Lauer's term ended in controversy with his resignation soon after the start of the

Wood Royal Commission The Royal Commission into the New South Wales Police Service, also known as the Wood Royal Commission, was a royal commission held in the State of New South Wales, Australia between 1995 and 1997. The Royal Commissioner was Justice James Rol ...

into police corruption.New South Wales Government Police Integrity Commission.Dodkin, p.138.

Education

Tony Lauer was born in

Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle, also commonly referred to as Greater Newcastle ( ; ), is a large Metropolitan area, metropolitan area and the second-most-populous such area of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the cities of City of Newcastle, Newcastle and Ci ...

, on 19 December 1935 and educated at Penrith High School,

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

, Australian Police Staff College, and the FBI Academy at

Quantico, Virginia Quantico (; formerly Potomac) is a town in southeastern Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 578 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Quantico is approximately 35 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., bound ...

. Lauer was also a graduate of the FBI's 17th National Executive Institute.

Involvement in the police force

Lauer served with the

New South Wales Police Force The New South Wales Police Force is a law enforcement agency of the state of New South Wales, Australia, established in 1862. With more than 17,000 police officers, it is the largest police organisation in Australia, policing an area of 801,60 ...

for forty-one years, as a General Duty uniform officer, Traffic Patrol cyclist, and in a wide range of criminal investigation duties. During his police service, Lauer had held the appointments of Chief Superintendent in Charge, Criminal Investigation Branch; Assistant Commissioner, Professional Responsibility; and Deputy Commissioner, State Commander. Lauer succeeded to the position of Commissioner of Police, after the retirement of Commissioner John Avery, in March 1991. In February 1996, Lauer's term ended in controversy with his resignation soon after the start of the

into police corruption. He had stated, among other areas of the force, that the Kings Cross patrol was free of corruption, only for the Royal Commission to find that it was in fact extremely corrupt. Peter Ryan succeeded him in the position. Lauer was a past President of the Police Association of NSW and was made a Life Member of the Association in 1983. He served as a member of the Police Board of NSW, the Operation Review Committee of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, and the Management Committee of the State Crime Commission. He was a Director of Police Bank Ltd. He was also a member of the Remuneration Committee and the Credit Committee of that Bank. He also serves as a Legator with Police Legacy.

Awards and personal life

Lauer underwent training in the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...

with the 19th National Service Training Battalion, Holsworthy, in 1957. Lauer was named a Paul Harris Fellow by the

Rotary Foundation The Rotary Foundation is a non-profit corporation that supports the efforts of Rotary International to achieve world understanding and peace through international humanitarian, educational, and cultural exchange programs. It is supported solely ...

Rotary International Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and p ...

in 1994. He was a long-standing

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

, and served as Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory from 2004 to 2006. Lauer married Joy Stock in 1955; they had four children and numerous grandchildren.

Notes

References

*Dodkin, Marilyn (2003)
Bob Carr: The Reluctant Leader
', University of New South Wales Press. *New South Wales Government

Police Integrity Commission The Police Integrity Commission, was a statutory corporation of the New South Wales Government, responsible for the prevention, detection, and investigation of alleged serious misconduct in the Police Force in the state of New South Wales, A ...

(1 May 1997)
Royal Commission Reports
', Ch. 1, 3, 4. (PDF) {{DEFAULTSORT:Lauer, Tony 1935 births Commissioners of the New South Wales Police 2022 deaths People from Newcastle, New South Wales Recipients of the Australian Police Medal Australian Freemasons Masonic grand masters University of Sydney alumni