Peter Ryan, the British-born Australian police officer who served as commissioner of New South Wales police from 1996 to 2002, died on December 15, 2025.
Born in Lancaster, Lancashire, on 18 May 1944, Ryan joined Lancashire Constabulary as a police cadet in 1961 and later moved to Australia, where New South Wales premier Bob Carr appointed him commissioner in 1996 to help restore public confidence after the Wood Royal Commission into police corruption. He led the force through a turbulent period before stepping down in 2002.
Peter James Ryan (18 May 1944 – 15 December 2025) was a British police officer. He was appointed by New South Wales premier Bob Carr as the Australian state’s police commissioner in 1996 in order to restore public confidence after the Wood Royal Commission into police corruption. Ryan led the force through one of its most turbulent periods, stepping down in 2002.