Robert Josiah Walton (8 December 1921 – 16 July 2008) was a New Zealand police officer who served as Commissioner of Police between 1978 and 1983. His tenure was marked by the end of the Bastion Point occupation, the

Mount Erebus disaster The Mount Erebus disaster occurred on 28 November 1979 when Air New Zealand Flight 901 (TE-901) flew into Mount Erebus on Ross Island, Antarctica, killing all 237 passengers and 20 crew on board. Air New Zealand had been operating scheduled A ...

, the 1981 Springbok tour, and the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the convictions of Arthur Alan Thomas for the murders of Harvey and Jeannette Crewe. Born in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

on 8 December 1921, Walton was educated at

Mount Albert Grammar School Mount Albert Grammar School, commonly known as MAGS, is a co-educational state secondary school in Mount Albert in Auckland, New Zealand. It teaches students in year levels 9 to 13. , Mount Albert Grammar School is the second largest school in ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he saw service in the Middle East, Italy and Japan, and later served in the

Royal New Zealand Army Service Corps Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a c ...

( Territorials), retiring as colonel commandant in 1986. In 1947, Walton married Marjorie Beryl Frost, and the couple went on to have one child. Walton joined the

New Zealand Police The New Zealand Police ( mi, Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa) is the national police service and principal law enforcement agency of New Zealand, responsible for preventing crime, enhancing public safety, bringing offenders to justice, and maintai ...

, and led the investigations into the

Bassett Road machine gun murders The Bassett Road machine gun murders were the murders of two men with a .45 calibre Reising submachine gun on 7 December 1963 at 115 Bassett Road in the Auckland suburb of Remuera in New Zealand. The crime received considerable media attention ...

in 1963. From 1966 to 1974, he headed the

Criminal Investigation Branch The Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) is one of the main branches of the New Zealand Police and it is dedicated to investigating and solving serious crime, and targeting organized crime and recidivist criminals. The CIB has existed since the ...

, and in 1971 studied at the

Royal College of Defence Studies The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest level ...

in London. He served as deputy police commissioner from 1974 to 1978, and police commissioner from 1978 to 1983, when he retired. In retirement, Walton lived in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, and was president of the Wellington Bowling Centre between 1992 and 1993, and a member of the New Zealand Bowling Association council from 1993 to 1996. He died at his home in Wellington on 16 July 2008.

Honours and awards

In 1953, Walton was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal. In the 1965 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (Military). In 1977, he received the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal. In the

1979 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1979 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1979 to celebr ...

, he was awarded the

Queen's Police Medal The King's Police Medal (KPM) is awarded to police in the United Kingdom for gallantry or distinguished service. It was also formerly awarded within the wider British Empire, including Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, most of whic ...

, and in the 1983 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walton, Bob 1921 births 2008 deaths People from Auckland People educated at Mount Albert Grammar School Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies New Zealand military personnel of World War II New Zealand Commissioners of Police New Zealand recipients of the Queen's Police Medal New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire New Zealand Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George New Zealand sports executives and administrators