Nearly four decades after starting his career, a veteran cop will return to his original posting and take charge of Australia's largest police force. Mal Lanyon will complete his ascension as NSW Police commissioner when he is formally appointed on Wednesday, taking the reins from the retiring Karen Webb. But it did not stop him beating contenders such as Acting Commissioner Peter Thurtell, Assistant Commissioner Gavin Wood and Deputy Commissioner David Hudson for the job. Major issues facing the state's police include a spate of recent gangland shootings and a perception problem, after high-profile incidents plagued Ms Webb's tenure. They included the tasering of 95-year-old great-grandmother Clare Nowland and the murder of a Sydney couple by a former cop.