Fair Cop by Christine Nixon & Jo Chandler

Book Synopsis: I have to declare upfront that I served under Christine Nixon for the entire time she was Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police, and I now count her among my close friends. I was overseas when Fair Cop was released so did not get around to reading it until 2012 just before I interviewed Christine for Sisters in Crime during Law Week. When I started the book, I thought that it would just be a refresher on some of the challenges Christine faced when she came to Victoria Police, some of her initiatives and ups and downs she experienced. However, as I read the book I found myself thinking ‘I didn’t know that!’ In the book Christine traces her life from growing up with a strong mother and a father who was with the NSW Police, through her own time in NSW Police and then her appointment to Victoria Police and her life leading up to and after Black Saturday. Christine has been very honest in the book and has even stated that there are some things she could have done better. At times, certain journalists, barristers and the ‘tall poppy syndrome’ adherents have tried to paint a very different picture of the Christine that the majority of her colleagues, friends and those she has come into contact with know, and in this respect the chapters on Black Saturday and her relationship with the police union are very revealing. A great and inspiring read that reveals the real Christine Nixon.