In front of his teary and beaming mother, Mal Lanyon climbed the final rank of the NSW Police Force on Wednesday as he was sworn in as its 24th commissioner.
The location - Balmain Police Station - was a stone's throw from where it all began for a then-19-year-old walking the streets of Sydney's inner west.
"The quite young constable, known as the Richie Cunningham of Glebe, blended in naturally," Police Minister Yasmin Catley told attendees.
"Mal cut his teeth on the frontline ... he was chasing notorious criminals.
"They were all bad bastards, but he caught them all."
Asked about the Happy Days nickname, Mr Lanyon said his 1987 hairstyle and general openness may have fuelled the comparisons between him and the character synonymous with Ron Howard.
"I love working with police officers and I love the community," he said.
"If it means that I'm friendly to people, ... that's probably reasonable - but I think some of that might have been the hair."
The ceremony, marked by smiles, hugs and general merriment, was a clear departure from his introductory media conference last week.
Mr Lanyon was peppered with questions about a 2021 incident near the Goulburn police academy when he was found drunk on the footpath and abused ambulance officers, and for inviting his wife and two friends onto a command post on Sydney Harbour on New Year's Eve in 2023.
The past indiscretions prompted Premier Chris Minns to argue the state's top cop need not be "lily-white", and Mr Lanyon later admitted he regretted both incidents.
But they did not stop him beating contenders such as Acting Commissioner Peter Thurtell, Assistant Commissioner Gavin Wood and Deputy Commissioner David Hudson for the job.
Mr Lanyon was appointed deputy commissioner in 2019 and recently led the NSW Reconstruction Authority after helping flood recovery efforts in the Northern Rivers in 2022.
He laid out his priorities as he officially embarked on his five-year term as the 24th commissioner of the state's police force.
"The role carries a profound responsibility, not just to uphold the law, but to lead with fairness, transparency and compassion," he said.
"Trust is earned through action. I will work to ensure our communities feel safe, heard and respected."
Compassion was among his first actions as commissioner, offering an apology to a music festival attendee during a press conference after his swearing-in.
The woman's humiliating strip search by police in 2018 was condemned by a Supreme Court judge on Tuesday.
"I apologise ... What has been reported is outside our policy and practice," Mr Lanyon said.
The 37-year veteran will oversee more than 16,000 sworn officers and a $5.6 billion budget.
Major issues facing the state's police include recruitment problems, a spate of recent gangland shootings and a perception problem, after high-profile incidents plagued his predecessor's tenure.
They included the tasering of 95-year-old great-grandmother Clare Nowland and the murder of a Sydney couple by a former officer.
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