View source for Jim Lees

{{Short description|Australian police officer (1920-2004)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2008}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name             = Jim Lees
|honorific-suffix = [[Queen's Police Medal|QPM]]
| order           = 15th [[List of Commissioners of New South Wales Police|Commissioner of the New South Wales Police]]
| term_start      = 17 October 1979
| term_end        = 29 December 1981
| predecessor     = [[Mervyn Wood]]
| successor       = [[Cecil Abbott]]
| birth_date      = {{Birth date|1920|08|18|df=y}}
| birth_place     = [[Hornsby, New South Wales]]
| death_date      = {{Death date and age|2004|09|03|1920|08|18|df=y}}
| death_place     = [[Waitara, New South Wales]]
| spouse          = Norma
| alma_mater      = [[Hurlstone Agricultural High School]]
| religion        =
| signature       =
| website         =
| footnotes       =
}}
'''James Travers Lees''', [[Queen's Police Medal|QPM]] (18 August 1920 – 3 September 2004) was the Commissioner of the [[New South Wales Police]] from 17 October 1979 to 29 December 1981.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/145137/poster_police_commissioners.pdf| title=New South Wales Commissioners of Police| publisher=[[New South Wales Police]]| accessdate=12 July 2010| archive-date=27 February 2011| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110227025718/http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/145137/poster_police_commissioners.pdf| url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Private life==
Lees was born in 1920 at [[Hornsby, New South Wales]], and went on to attend the [[Hurlstone Agricultural High School]]. He had initially wanted to be a farmer but found that he was not suited for a life on the land.
Lees married his wife Norma in October 1944.<ref name=parl-obit/> They went on to have a family with children Sue, John and Peter. Lees also taught a Sunday School and was heavily involved with his church. He also established the Police Christian Fellowship.<ref name=parl-obit>{{cite web|author=Moyes, Gordon |authorlink=Gordon Moyes |url=http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LC20041026057 |title=Death of Mr Jim Lees, QPM, a former Commissioner of Police |publisher=NSW Parliament-parliament.nsw.gov.au |date=2004-10-26 |accessdate=2014-03-25 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325100804/http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LC20041026057 |archivedate=2014-03-25 }}</ref>
Lees died on 2 September 2004 at the age of 84.<ref name=smh-death>{{cite news |author=Brown, Malcolm |authorlink=Malcolm Brown (Australian journalist) |url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/09/05/1094322646462.html?from=storylhs |title='Untouchable' police commissioner dead at 84 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |publisher=www.smh.com.au |date=2004-09-06 |accessdate=2014-03-25}}</ref> His funeral was attended by incumbent Police Commissioner [[Ken Moroney]] as well as former Police Commissioners [[Cecil Roy Abbott|Cec Abbott]], [[John Avery (police commissioner)|John Avery]] and [[Tony Lauer]].
==Police career==
After giving up on farming Lees accepted as a cadet in the New South Wales Police Force at the age of 17 in 1936. Within six months he was made a [[constable]] and began to rise through the ranks of the force.
In 1976 Lees became Assistant [[Police Commissioner]] and was appointed Commissioner in October 1979. As well as receiving 12 New South Wales Police commendations he also received the [[Queen's Police Medal]] in 1976, the [[Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal]] in 1977, the [[National Medal (Australia)|National Medal]] also in 1977, and the honour of receiving the [[Australian Father of the Year award]] in 1981.
==References==
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{{succession box|title=[[List of Commissioners of New South Wales Police|Commissioner of the New South Wales Police]]|before=[[Mervyn Wood]]|after=[[Cecil Abbott]]|years=1979–1981}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lees, James}}
[[Category:1920 births]]
[[Category:2004 deaths]]
[[Category:Commissioners of the New South Wales Police]]
[[Category:People from Sydney]]
[[Category:Australian recipients of the Queen's Police Medal]]
[[Category:People educated at Hurlstone Agricultural High School]]