A senior police officer who guided Queensland through a range of natural disasters, and stepped up to guide the Queensland Police Service (QPS) for a short time, is retiring after 40 years of service.
Queensland Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said Deputy Commissioner Shane Chelepy had announced his retirement mid next year and would remain on leave until then.
Commissioner Gollschewski said DC Chelepy had held a diverse range of leadership roles in disaster management, counter terrorism, operations support command and frontline general duties.
“He is a trusted and respected professional, setting the standard of leadership across the organisation,” he said.
“Stepping into the Commissioner’s role while I was on leave, Shane led with the utmost integrity, respect and courage, steering the organisation through transformation.”
Commissioner Gollschewski said, as the State Disaster Coordinator, DC Chelepy guided the Queensland community during some of the states most challenging disasters, including significant flooding and bushfire events, and most notably the Cyclone Alfred response earlier this year.
“To name a few achievements, Shane has led reforms across the organisation as well as a broad range of frontline, specialist, and senior command positions.”
DC Chelepy said throughout his career he had been inspired by the way the QPS responded through every challenge to keep communities safe.
“In recent times, I had the privilege of leading the QPS as Acting Commissioner. I was, and always will be, humbled by the commitment and resilience shown by every member of this organisation.”
He said, as the State Disaster Coordinator, he witnessed firsthand that same commitment and extraordinary effort to support Queenslanders at their most vulnerable during disasters.
