COMMISSIONER OF POLICE

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 26987, 12 March 1953, Page 8

COMMISSIONER OF POLICE

APPOINTMENT OF MR E. H. COMPTON

SUPERINTENDENT NALDER

AS ASSISTANT (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, March 11. The Assistant Commissioner of Police (Mr E. H. Compton), who was promoted to his present position in December, has been appointed Commissioner of Police. He fills /be vacancy caused by the death of Mr J. B. Young. To succeed Mr Compton, Superintendent P. J. Nalder, head of the special branch, has been appointed Assistant Commissioner of Police. Announcing these appointments today, the Minister in charge of (Mr W. H. Fortune) said that Mr Compton was the logical choice as

Commissioner. Since Mr Young’s death Mr Compton had been carrying out the duties of head of the department in a manner which fully justified the Government’s decision in December to promote him to Assistant Commissioner. The Minister said he felt certain the Police Department would benefit greatly by naving at the head of its day-to-day administration a man of Mr Compton’s undoubted administrative ability. To aid him he would have another comparatively young officer in Mr Nalder. Mr Nalder had some 12 years to serve before retirement. Mr Nalder’s promotion was. in line with the policy stated at the time of Mr Compton’s appointment as Assistant Commissioner of ensuring that merit Avas the deciding factor in the promotion of officers in the force, said Mr Fortune. “Mr Nalder has displayed outstanding ability as an investigator and administrator, particularly in the conduct of the special branch, which he will continue to direct,” he added. Mr Nalder’s Career Mr Nalder, who is 53, joined the force in Wellington in 1921. A year later he took up duty in the detective office at Auckland, and was appointed detective in 1925. Ten years later he was given charge of detective Work in the Whangarei district. Promoted to the rank of detective-sergeant, he returned to Auckland ip 1937. Mr Nalder was transferred to police headquarters in 1941, and he has remained there. For the first two years he was in the “Police Gazette” office, and was then selected for the special branch, later becoming responsible to the Commissioner of Police for the work of the branch throughout New Zealand. He was promoted seniordetective in 1945. sub-inspector in 1950, inspector a year ago, and on November 1, was promoted to superintendent. Mr Nalder visited Australia on police work in 1935, and again last year. He visited the United Kingdom in 1951.