It's weekends on two GBN four BC with Luke Grant Sunday Morning. This is a time where we spotlight and Australian who's done extraordinary things. It's Nick caldus Ao. He was rightfully honored amongst the King's Birthday honors announced just a week ago. He's currently the Assistant Commander in chief of the Abu Dhabi Police Force and, amongst other things, one of Australia's most significant police officers. I'm delighted to say he's on the line from Abu Derby. Thank you
for your time. You must be somewhat humbled, my friend.
It is. I'm very humbled, Luke, and I'm very grateful. I hope in some ways it's not just a recognition of me. It's a recognition of all the communities, including my own Arabic community, the Egyptian community, the Coptor community that I'm not only a part of, but I've worked very close to you with and the supported me out
of decades. Yeah, and I hope it's a recognition of these class police men and women as well, who spent the best part of four decades, you know, being a part of So I'm very grateful and humbledt just came out of left field, but I'm very grateful.
Tell me about how Nick, born in Egypt ends up with the family in Australia.
My grade in nineteen sixty nine, and I always was a very cold July day where arrived in the city and we didn't know anyone or anything, which makes a little more remarkable. I look at where I've been, what I've done, I don't know how I've got you. We came and we settled in Maryville initially and then moved around to Sydney for a little while. I joined the police,
and when I'm from there that I think. One thing my father, who passed away many years ago, instilled in all of us is about hard work, doing the right thing, and actually caring about people and as you go along in your way. And I hope I've done that along the way. But you know, I look back on it all work and I just feel ddibly blessed to have worked for the people I've worked with and done of the things I've done.
Did you always want to be a copper or was that something that you know, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Did you grow up wanting to be in the police force.
I did actually very much so, and all my family expected I'll do it sooner or later. It took me a little while, but I actually didn't see colors tall enough. And in the late seventies and early eighties there were height requirements for yourself after police. When I finally got up there got some went in the Crease headquarters that in what is what used to be the Avery building in the College Street. I was tall enough, there was
no problem. I was actually too skinny. You didn't believe that now, But I had to put on a bit of wa.
Well, you know, you've you've got to you've got to be got to make yourself strong. That's what you've got to do. Your need food, don't you.
You let's refer yeah, but yeah now and then once I applied, I if you went in and the class that I went through, the class one, seven nine, we're just fantastic and we're still in touch most of us, and jeez have reunions.
And then, Jeez, in all the work you've done, it's it's you know, it's a bit like talking to a footballer and asking them their favorite performance. But you've been you've worked in the homicide squad, obviously involved in some of the most complex, high profile murder investigations. Is there one that not necessarily sticks out because you know you've got the job done quickly, but was perhaps complicated and
required excellent policing to get a result. Is there is there one that you particularly reflect on.
That's a good question. I'm a bit low to sort of seeing one out, But I guess the one that took the longest and was in many ways satisfying to resolve, what's the murder of John Newman, the member of Parliament. Yes, it took seven or eight years for us to get a conviction, and the other seven and eight years where there it appears all the way to the High Court was convicted, that he sentenced to life and never to
be released. And it's made out in my mind that he did it, and that he's planned an inquiry, a raw commission if you like, into his conviction, which was essentially an inquiry to what we said and did fifteen years before. So it was quite torturous, and that it was. I never heard any of my teammates say, look, it's too hard, I want to get out. We're all stuck
to the task. We all stuck together, and I among my closest friends, and I'm really proud of all of them and the fact that we've stuck together and got a job done.
I know this is probably a bit of a Hollywood thing, but Nick, how do you stop something like that, which I guess to some extent becomes an obsession? How do you stop it overtaking your life? Can you actually do that? Because you end up living and breathing this thing, don't you?
You do the real danger of that. But I think I've had over a decade in the homicide squad, and you do learn to sort of not compartmentalize. But work is work, home, his own family's family, and you try and not let it intrude on your thoughts while you're with home and family and so on. I think most
of us are pretty good with that. But this was quite significant, look because it was described by the certaencing judge Justice Dunfords a political assassination man who was killed not because of what, you know, anything he did, but because of simply who he was. And it was pretty clear that the fellow who killed him from you know, was his political opponent and wasn't going to get anywhere until he got rid of in so he thought, okay, I thought that out he did. It was quite tragic.
Yeah, it was. Yeah. I'll ask you quick. I'm kind of uncomfortable, but I want to I remember a number of colleagues, might even include me. This radio station thought that you were the perfect appointment as police commissioner. You decided to step away and pursue something different. Can you look back at that fondly? Do you look back at that with frustration? I probably shouldn't pry, because I had great respect for you, But I want to ask you that, mate.
I appreciate that you that's a good cause. There's no disrespect man, and I'm not offended in any way. Look up, I need thirty five years commissioner. At the time ender script he only got another four or five year contract. If he wasn't going anywhere, and one's being offered all sorts of things, I decided it was time to go. I don't look back with any sense of frustration. I've said in the book I've written. I regret nothing. I moved on. I made a decision consciously not to stay
in Sidney once I got out. Would I should I was never really me, and I took on the leadership. Well we investigate, You're not a nation of investigation. The kind of the workers in Syria yep. And then a bunch of other things. Obvious thinking in the world conditioned the military suicide. And I'm now working with the Deabi police in the United Arounates. I'm quite proud of that. So you just you move on, you look ahead. That's been you know what our family does. We left things
behind in Egypt as well. You just have to look ahead, do as you know as well as you can with whatever you've got in front of you, and enjoy life, which is what I hope I've done.
Wow, your work as the Royal Commissioner in the veteran suicide is Look again, it's a silly question, but I spoke to you during that process. I could just sense, and you don't need me to say this, but I could just sense how important you knew it was, and you work there is exemply But I wonder if we've actually met your expectations in the way we've dealt with things.
I think it's too early to tell whether the law Commissioners had the impact that everyone wanted it to. Have. The government very quickly responded, in fact that he had record time because they're working enough. How important it was accepted one hundred and four one hundred and twenty three recommendations, including the main run of establishing their body that monitors welfare and reports publicly. We're working on all of that now,
so I'm optimistic about the future. I've been accused of being an eternal optimist, but it was really important work. It was definitely hardgoing that there was a lot of sadness really that I am the stuff that even we had a welfare regime and place for everyone. But the thing that struck me be is that the similarities between the problems in the military and law enforcement and emergency services is startling. It's exactly the same problems. I've had
a bit to say about that. I was granted a meeting with all the Police Commissioners of Australia and New Zealand through ramspar this customer for frank discussion and we're all doing bits and pieces in terms of welfare and research and try to view these problems. But I won't go over it all again. But when we finished the Royal Commission, in the closing he had this. I did say that this has been a national disgrace, how we've treated our veterans and serving members, how we've taken along
off the ball of society. Our media and the political class did not pay enough attention the fifty seven inquiries that preceded US seven hundred and seven recommendations, most of which were not acquitted fully. And it was in plain sight. Anyway, we're there now, we've had the inquiry, We've highlighted the problems.
We took an und an unusual approach. We decided to talk to the media and do as much coverage as we could get it all out there, basically, and a lot of people from the legal fraternity, he felt that they were uncomfortable with that. It's on precidented for the Royal Commissioner, a sitting raw commission, to say so in
US and do so much with the media. But you felt that the only way we're going to achieve real lasting change was to actually bring all the problems out into the sunshine and let them be dealt with a name and dealt with hopefully. And I hope and pray we've done that.
Yeah. No, you were brilliant, brilliant you're the assistant Commander in chief of the Abu Dhabi Police Force. So what does work look like? How different is it to the days when you were operating in uniform in New South Wales.
It is very different, obviously culturally and every other way. There's some really incredibly clever people here in the police and in government generally, and I think I'm beginning to recognize after only a couple of months that actually much more advanced than Australia in many ways in terms of use of technology and other ways they're dealing with things, and they're very open minded, which is what attracted me to the role. And I'm very grateful and again humbled
to be asked to play this part. I'm bringing a different perspective, I guess, to the way things done and bringing the international connections that I'm happen to build over the decades to be and there's it's going to be a very interesting few years, ji a couple of years while I'm here. And again my father has taught me to don't move on until you've made your mark, and I hope I will make my Marqi and certainly not
be it. I play some small contribution in the revolution here and I really hope to build the connections between the Gulf and the air countries and Australian law enforcement more strongly than they have been in the past.
Well, Nick, we said this part in the sund out to talk to remarkable Australians and you're certainly one of those. Nick Calder's AO. Congratulations and can I get to say Nick, thank you for everything you've done, not just here but all around the world. An exceptional human being and we valued the opportunity to talk to you and I wish you well.
Thank you very much, Luc, and thank you for your continuing support of those in uniform make both military and police and services. It's been fantastic. Just I'm really grateful to you for thinking of not at.
All Nick Caldas outstanding, all the best mate, and plenty of feedback just decoing everything that I've been saying, a bit of a fanboy moment for me, because I do think he's remarkable and look on the back of that chat to Nick, New South Wales Police Legacy and collaboration with seven Australian police legacies, have launched National Police Legacy Day to celebrate the important work done by the nonprofit charities around the country to support police officers and their
loved ones. The newly established National Police Legacy Day observed annually on the seventeenth of journe It aims to bring attention to the difficulties faced by police families left behind after tragedy, the significant financial strain and emotional distress and challenges rel added to the family structure and daily life.
This National Police Legacy Day will feature a variety of activities, community events, fundraising efforts and a call to illuminate buildings around the state in a blue light in the evening. The Opera house sales will be blue in Sydney and Premier. You've done well there, tick, So you'll see that on the seventeenth Tuesday. And when you see blue, we'll hear about this. You'll know, wow, got to get behind that. We thank all police all over the country for their service.