As reported by the Daily Liberal earlier this week, Assistant Commissioner Willing will take over from current counter terrorism boss Mark Murdoch in early November, capping a massive rise from the ranks of Orana Local Area Command to one of the state’s most prominent postings in the space of about 10 years.

Mr Grant, who took Commissioner Mick Fuller’s recommendation of Asst Comm Willing to parliament earlier this year, said the stark reality of terrorism made it a critically vital role within the NSW Police Force.

“Mick was selected by the Commissioner for the job because he has proven himself to be an excellent commander in Homicide,” Mr Grant said.

“He has led some complex investigations and worked in a confronting environment, and counter terrorism is no different in that regard.

“The emergence of counter terrorism in our daily lives and daily conscience is very real and we can’t bury our heads in the sand and pretend it doesn’t exist.

“As we’ve seen, nobody is safe which makes it challenging and important on an international level, so it is vital we have someone who can work with Interpol, Europol, the FBI, and so on.

“Mick has studied abroad, he is an excellent communicator and I’m sure he will be able to build on the relationships already formed with other units across the globe, in things like cyber crime as well as counter terrorism.

“I think he’s also an example that being from a country town town doesn’t exclude you from these big jobs.”