Assistant Commissioner Grant Nicholls joined the Australian Federal Police in February 2020 and was appointed as the AFP’s Chief Learning Officer overseeing Learning and Development Command in April 2021. The Command encompasses the AFP’s training along with Policing Development and Innovation and Corporate Improvement. Assistant Commissioner Nicholls is the current chair of the Global Policing Innovation Exchange (GPX), Patron of the AFP Pipes and Drums and is co-champion of the AFP’s National Women’s Advisory Network.
Assistant Commissioner Nicholls began his career in policing when he joined the New Zealand Police in 1985 and rose to the rank of Acting Deputy Commissioner. He has held positions within operational, investigative, policy and administrative posts within New Zealand Police and has overseas experience working or observing policing in Scotland, Timor Leste’, the USA, Canada, as well as Thailand during the tsunami. He has also held the honorary rank of Colonel Commandant of the Corps of the Royal New Zealand Military Police.
New Zealand Police awarded two Silver Merit Awards to Grant for leading an investigation into the discovery of the remains of a person who had been missing for over 6 years and for his work in relation to operational policing and administrative reform within a region.
In June 2016, Assistant Commissioner Nicholls was seconded to the Northern Territory Police, Australia in relation to a capability audit. He was appointed to the rank of Deputy Commissioner on 12 December 2016. Whilst serving with the Northern Territory Police