Australia will soon be on the lookout for a new police chief.
Well-regarded Australian Federal Police commissioner Tony Negus is stepping down when his five-year appointment concludes in September, ending a 32-year career with the AFP.
"It has been a great privilege to lead the AFP for the last five years and to serve the people of Australia under three different prime ministers," he said on the AFP website on Friday.
Justice Minister Michael Keenan said the government would now conduct an extensive national and international search for a new commissioner.
Mr Negus has certainly led the AFP in interesting times. He's only the AFP's sixth commissioner, taking over from Mick Keelty in September 2009.
His term has featured investigation of corruption in Customs, political scandals including former Speaker Peter Slipper plus extensive involvement in tackling people smuggling.
Mr Negus said the AFP had achieved record levels of performance across the board and was well placed to continue to build on these accomplishments.
"I am also very proud of the domestic and international relationships that the AFP has developed during my term, with cooperation in fighting both terrorism and transnational crime at an all-time high," he said.
Mr Keenan said Mr Negus had enjoyed a long and distinguished career in law enforcement.
"Under Commissioner Negus' leadership and reforms, the AFP has consistently achieved record levels of success in the protection of our nation," he said in a statement.
"The AFP has also successfully undertaken a range of international deployments contributing to international peace and stability during this time, including Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands."
Mr Keenan said that during his career with the AFP, Mr Negus worked in a variety of fields including community policing, federal investigations, training, protection and human resources.
He's been awarded the Australian Police Medal and international awards recognising his contribution to fighting transnational crime.
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