Negus sworn in as new AFP commissioner

Tony Negus has done a lot in his 27 years with the Australian Federal Police.
He's been a traffic cop, pursuit car driver and drug squad investigator.
And, on Monday, he was sworn in to its top job - the AFP's sixth commissioner in its
30-year history.
Mr Negus takes over from Mick Keelty, who had his share of ups and downs during his
eight years at the helm of the AFP.
One of the lowlights of that period was the bungled investigation into Indian doctor
Mohamed Haneef.
Mr Negus told reporters the AFP had moved on from that episode, which many saw as
the undoing of Mr Keelty.
"We think we've moved forward a long way from there," he said.
"There's a lot of good work being done by the AFP - we keep going back to one
particular incident - but broadly the AFP conducts itself extremely well and is held
in high regard."
He vowed the AFP would maintain its independence on operational matters and in its
investigations, even if it meant occasional disagreements with government.
Mr Keelty got into trouble with the former Howard government when he took a
different view on the terrorist threat following attacks in Spain.
Both Mr Negus and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd paid tribute to the work done by Mr
Keelty, whose time in the top job was marked by the growing fight against terrorism.
The new commissioner signalled the battle against terrorism and organised crime
would be a focus of his leadership.
"All of the research tells us that terrorism is going to remain with us for a
generation," Mr Negus said.
The nation needed to remain vigilant and "not drop its guard", even when the threat
of terrorism appeared to have diminished.
Organised crime too was a scourge bleeding the community of funds - it's estimated
to cost the nation $15 billion a year - that could be better used on health,
education and other needs.
"This is an enormous problem that we must fight together for our nation's sake and
for our children's sake," Mr Negus said.
Mr Rudd described Mr Negus as the man for the times and the new commissioner
indicated he planned to run a force that was fully capable of handling the threats
posed by technology.
"Under my leadership the AFP will be committed to ensuring its members possess the
skills to be effective in fighting crime in a rapidly changing world," Mr Negus
said.
"The old days of investigating a fraud where everything is written down are very
much long gone.
"These days with electronic transfers, money laundering and a whole range of other
things, (officers) need to have a different (range of) skills."
Mr Negus leads by example with his skill set.
In three decades with the AFP, he's worked in a variety of positions and locations.
And his experience hasn't all been on the beat. Mr Negus has a masters degree, a
graduate diploma in executive leadership and credentials from Harvard University.