18 Facts About Simon Overland

Simon James Overland was born on 19 March 1962 and is the former Chief Executive Officer at the City of Whittlesea and a former Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police in Australia.

Simon Overland previously worked with the Australian Federal Police and then with Victoria Police focusing on Melbourne's gangland wars.

Simon Overland resigned from this position on 16 June 2011 after intense public pressure from critics who questioned his performance.

Simon Overland played Australian rules football in the ACT Football League for Eastlake, a total of 117 senior games.

Simon Overland served about 19 years with the AFP; during this time he was selected by Australia's police commissioners to lead the Implementation Team that created the Australian Crime Commission in January 2003.

In January 2003, Simon Overland was appointed Assistant Commissioner with Victoria Police and led the Purana Taskforce on organised crime which is credited with a prominent role in bringing an end to the Melbourne gangland wars in the world of organised crime, which resulted in convictions and lengthy jail terms for underworld figures Carl Williams and Tony Mokbel.

Simon Overland was the public face of Victoria Police's campaign against organised crime in Victoria and often appeared in the media speaking about the issue.

Simon Overland lamented that the gangland wars have appeared to desensitise the public to violence and was critical of people in the general public who took the view that we were well rid of criminals murdered in the ongoing feuds.

Simon Overland insisted that criminal figures are still human beings with the right to a fair trial and who should not be murdered any more than should general members of the public.

Simon Overland was promoted to Chief Commissioner, replacing Christine Nixon, on 2 March 2009.

Simon Overland faced criticism in 2011 over failings in a police computer system, which did not alert front-line officers to the parolee status of various criminals they interacted with, allowing the parolees to kill six people.

Simon Overland resigned from the position on 16 June 2011.

In 2011 there was an Ombudsman investigation into allegations that Simon Overland willingly aided in selectively releasing crime statistics to help make the former Labor-based Brumby government appear more favourable to voters when law and order was considered a major political issue.

Simon Overland resigned on 16 June 2011, a few hours after the release of a report from the Ombudsman, which criticised the 'misleading' crime statistics he published.

Simon Overland was appointed Secretary of the Tasmanian Department of Justice on 4 July 2012.

Simon Overland resigned after fulfilling his five-year contract on 19 July 2017.

On 21 August 2017 Simon Overland was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Whittlesea City Council, Victoria.

Simon Overland is a Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.