It was one of Australia’s most brutal and shocking crimes. 

“This sad and gruesome murder, convinced me that there was more to life than living in such an underprivileged area,” Mr Riley said.

“Clumping thousands of low socio economic families into huge communities just doesn’t work.”

The teenager left home and moved to Tasmania where he worked at Kmart at New Town for six years.

He also joined the army reserves, the start of a 29-year part-time career that ended  in 2017 as a colonel and the principal plans officer for the Australian Army Reserves based in Sydney.

He met his wife in Hobart when he was 22 and her father, John Kruse, was a police inspector with Tasmania Police who inspired him to join the service.

“I admired his work ethic, easy going nature and care for others, all of these I linked to his policing experience,” Mr Riley said.

“This exposure encouraged me to join Tasmania Police in 1994, the year after we were married. I joined to make a difference to the community. 

"I see myself as a Tasmanian and love this state. Policing is the most direct way that I can positively assist shape people’s lives and make a positive difference.”

From his humble beginnings it is clear that Mr Riley is driven. By any measure he has made his mark. In 1996 he was a member of the Special Operations Group that arrested Martin Bryant at Port Arthur.

A Detective Inspector, Mr Riley said a highlight of his 25-year career, was to be part of Operation Etch in 2011 set up to investigate the suspected murder of Brendon Roy Marriott.

“There was a rumour that he had been murdered, but there was no complainant or report of a missing person, there was no body, crime scene or weapon,” he recalls.

“The investigative team painstakingly covertly built sufficient evidence, culminating in the arrest and conviction of three persons linked to the murder. It was a privilege to be part of an operation, which demonstrated that if provided with sufficient resources, any matter could be successfully resolved with patience and perseverance.

“The other memorable case, was when I was part of the team investigating the attempted shooting murder of Sergeant Les Cooper, who was on duty in uniform at a marked police vehicle traffic interception on the Midlands Highway. We got a conviction and prison sentence.”

He has completed five university qualifications, including a masters of management, and is working on his sixth. He has received two Commissioner of Police awards and several commendations.

Mr Riley led the enhancement of the professionalisation of the force, with the implementation of three post graduate professional honours programs including in  prosecution and investigation.

As the new president of Tasmania’s police union he is now focussed on looking after the needs of the nearly 1300 police officers.

“My passion is to ensure police receive effective care to prevent psychological injury,” Mr Riley said.

“The need for effective preventative care strategies by the agency is the primary reason as to why I have stepped away from my Tasmania Police career to undertake the PAT President role. 

"I could not effect change from within.

“My main purpose for taking on this role is to ensure that suitable and effective psychological remediation processes are in place and officers are able to return to their families at the end of their shift as the person who left the home at the start of the day.”

He said policing had become more complex with more required of officers in relation to legislative compliance, operational techniques, policies, processes and technologies.

“When police respond to emergency incidents, it needs to be done so with sufficient numbers to reduce the likelihood of long-term mental health issues,” he said.

“There are automated systems that regularly track and update members’ outputs, crime incidence, clearance rates etc, but no similar automated system that provides the same transparency that tracks and updates first responder effective police numbers physically on the ground, around the state at any one time.

“There does not exist a clear formula across the board to work out what police numbers are needed at the front line when taking into account new activity requirements, crime rates, victim ratios, police to population ratios, rostering and so on.

“The current police strength is based upon a review undertaken many years ago with additional numbers just added over time and without any apparent analysis of new and emerging trends.”

Mr Riley said Tasmania Police needed a fatigue management plan

“Members need to be provided with comprehensive linked and integrated preventative and reactive treatment health strategies,” he said.

“If there isn’t, the ‘silent’ cost is then borne by individual members and their families.”

Mr Riley is concerned about how pervasive bikie gangs have become in Tasmania.

“They are meshed in organised crime, both illicit drugs and violence,” he said.

“They are organised and employ counter evidence gathering measures, so as a result, it takes more concentrated police resource to apprehend them. As a result, that resource is not available to be utilised elsewhere in the community.”

On pill testing at concerts he says it is a complex area.

“Pill testing in isolation is not the solution or the silver bullet,” Mr Riley said.

“To resolve this issue, it requires enhanced education for potential users of illicit drugs and also greatly enhanced harm reduction strategies. 

"There is no way that we can enforce our way out of the illicit drug problem.”