“Leadership is not always about standing apart. It is about knowing when to guide, when to follow, and when to simply stand alongside others.”
Every major police operation begins with uncertainty.
For 35 years Glen McEwen built a career making decisions when the answers weren’t clear. Rising from a young recruit in the AFP to becoming one of its senior operational commanders, he confronted organised crime, terrorism and international crises at the highest levels of policing and was decorated for his efforts.
Glen spent most of his first 15 years in the AFP investigating serious and organised criminal groups within Australia. He then deployed overseas initially to counter people smuggling syndicates but found himself one of the first AFP officers to arrive at the scene of the 2002 Bali bombings, just minutes after the devastating attacks. Afterwards, Glen’s duties expanded to include countering corruption, cybercrime and terrorism, while working alongside police, intelligence agencies and governments across Asia, Australia and Europe.
As a leader and operational commander, Glen strongly advocated for proactive disruption strategies while challenging conventional approaches to enhancing operational effectiveness and adaptability. Key highlights included leading the sensitive international investigation which brought down prominent corrupt law enforcement official, Mark Standen. As the commander of the AFP’s presence in Asia in the late 2010s, Glen commanded the AFP contingent that assisted Thai authorities in the 2018 Tham Luang Cave rescue, and he led the establishment of AFP assistance to Sri Lanka police in the wake of the 2019 Easter Sunday terrorist attacks.
Drawing on his extensive operational and leadership experience, Glen takes readers inside the investigations, leadership decisions and international operations that rarely become part of the public record. He shows the greatest challenges were not always found in the operations themselves. Instead, they emerged over time, as years of responsibility, leadership and difficult decisions accumulated beyond the headlines.
Crime, Chaos and Controversy is an intriguing, candid and at time raw account of police service in challenging circumstances, its impact on an individual and how decisions, pressures and responsibilities define a life in modern policing. The book also gives insight into the significant evolution of the AFP over the past four decades, especially its unique role in international policing and diplomacy.
The book is published by Big Sky Publishing and can be ordered online, before being released in book stores on 27 October 2027. Readers can also hear Glen talk about aspects of his career and the book in episode 64 of Policing Australia: The Official Podcast of the Australian Police Journal, which will be released on 13 October. When released the podcast will be available for download via all major podcast apps or will be able to be heard HERE.
