Duty Bound

Her life's work. Her dream job. Her worst nightmare.

In February 2022, Karen Webb was appointed Commissioner of the New South Wales Police Force - the first woman to lead the 22,000-strong institution in its 160-year history, and one of only a handful of women in Australia to reach the top job in policing. Her appointment was hailed as a long-overdue cultural shift.

For Webb, it marked the culmination of a lifetime in the force: recruit, detective, Deputy Commissioner, then Commissioner. A country girl who rose through the ranks to become one of the nation's most experienced investigators, she had spent decades confronting crime at the highest level.

But less than two years later, with almost half her contract still remaining, it was over. Her departure became one of the most shocking public downfalls in recent memory.

Duty Bound is the story of how one woman rose to the top - and fought to stay there. From public scandal and political pressure to the entrenched culture of a boys' club resistant to change, Webb reveals what it took to lead one of Australia's most powerful institutions while the forces around her tightened.

Through it all, she carried a private grief that shaped her years of public service: the abuse her brother Gary suffered as a child, and his later suicide. She also endured harassment herself, under the unrelenting glare of a life lived in public.

This is a raw and gripping account of ambition, integrity and survival. With unflinching honesty, Webb writes about grief, power and the quiet courage required to remain true to yourself when those around you expect you to play by the old rules.