NSW Police assistant commissioner retires after 39 years investigating major
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Joe Cassar is retiring after 39 years, including decades investigating high-profile murders.
Joe Cassar is retiring this week from NSW Police after a career in homicide detection and major crime. During the 1990s, he was among the first detectives at the scene of several prominent murders in the Wollongong area, including the 1998 deaths of Frank Arkell, a former Lord Mayor, and David O'Hearn.
Frank Arkell and David O'Hearn's cases were both solved with convictions to life sentences without parole. Cassar reflected on how those cases changed him as a detective.
He noted that working in a small town meant investigating crimes involving people he knew personally, including a school friend who became a funeral director. He said the trauma of witnessing certain scenes stays with officers for life.
Why it mattersThe retirement of a senior detective reflects the human cost of crime investigation and the toll major cases take on police careers.
AustraliaNSW Police loses experienced leadership in homicide investigation as Cassar concludes nearly four decades with the force.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 1 d ago
