General News
19 May, 2026
Horsham's Glenn Weir calls time
Victoria Police’s former Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir says the Wimmera has never stopped feeling like home, even after a 46-year career that took him from a teenage police cadet to one of Victoria Police’s most senior leaders.
Mr Weir left Horsham in 1980 at just 16-and-a-half to join the final intake of the Victoria Police cadet scheme.
He went on to lead major policing operations across Victoria, but said his memories of growing up in Horsham, playing football, cricket and basketball, and driving back over the bridge into town remain deeply personal.
“I love growing up in Horsham,” he said.
“Every time I go to Horsham, it still feels like home, even though I haven’t lived there for coming up to 46, 47 years.”
Mr Weir said his family lived in Alexandra Avenue, across from the football ground, and sport formed a major part of his early life.
“I was actively involved, like most kids, with sports, played footy and cricket,” he said.
“The whole family was involved with basketball, in particular with the Horsham Demons.”
He said his father played an important role in local junior sport and basketball, including around the time the stadium was built.
“My dad was president of the junior footy club and involved with basketball as well,” he said.
Mr Weir said returning to Horsham still brings back strong memories of his youth.
“Every time I drive down over the bridge, coming in on the Western Highway, and every time I drive down Firebrace Street, it just feels like you’ve never left,” he said.
“It’s that sort of place.”
That connection remains alive through family and old school friends.
Mr Weir said he still has relatives in Horsham and the Wimmera and continues to attend reunions with former classmates.
“I still do feel that connection,” he said.
He also recalled returning to Horsham as a guest speaker at a Blue Ribbon Foundation ball at the town hall, a venue he remembered from his teenage years.
“I used to go to the blue light disco at the town hall back in the late 70s,” he said.
“It was great to go there and just feel that connection to my past.”
Mr Weir joined Victoria Police without a long-term plan to climb the ranks.
After leaving Horsham, he completed Year 12 through the cadet scheme while also undertaking early policing and fitness training.
He then entered the police academy in 1981 and graduated later that year.
“I had no real career plan or path at that stage, and it just sort of evolved over the next 45-odd years,” he said.
His first posting was at Malvern Police Station, before he moved into Melbourne’s city patrols and then other inner-suburban general duties roles, including Prahran.
He was promoted to sergeant in 1990 and continued through the ranks over the following decades.
Mr Weir said he never expected his career would lead to the rank of Assistant Commissioner.
“I joined Victoria Police at age,” he said.
“I was just happy to be working in the divisional van.”
Over his career, Mr Weir led police through some of the state’s most difficult moments.
He said he was proud of leading a team that investigated heroin traffickers during Melbourne’s heroin crisis in the late 1990s.
“Lots of people were dying from heroin overdoses,” he said.
“Leading a team investigating and arresting heroin traffickers was really important to try and keep people safe.”
He also pointed to his role as police commander during the 2015 Metropolitan Remand Centre prison riot, describing it as a major and challenging event.
But he said the period from late 2019 to mid-2020 was among the most significant of his career.
At the time, he served as assistant commissioner for the Eastern Region and led police responses through the Black Summer bushfires, the start of COVID-19, border closures and the Eastern Freeway tragedy, where four Victoria Police members were killed.
“As tragic as that is, I’m glad I was able to be there and lead through that,” he said.
Mr Weir also takes pride in his family’s connection to Victoria Police.
His brother, Dean, retired as a senior sergeant; his sister, Mandy, continues to serve as a sergeant at the Narre Warren Police Station; his son remains with Victoria Police; and his daughter also worked for the organisation.
In his final five years, Mr Weir served as assistant commissioner of Road Policing Command from Victoria Police’s Spencer Street office.
He became widely known for his leadership in road safety and for his focus on reducing road trauma across the state.
Now stepping away from the force, Mr Weir said retirement has taken some getting used to.
“It’s been a bit strange to go from working almost 100 miles an hour to stopping,” he said.
He said he will miss the people most.
“I was fortunate enough to work with some amazing people over the journey,” he said.
“One thing that hasn’t changed is the commitment of the people.”
Mr Weir now plans to spend more time with his grandchildren, travel with his wife and enjoy life without a full diary.
“What I’m really looking forward to is doing whatever I want rather than being driven by a calendar and diary,” he said.
Glenn Weir retired from Victoria Police on March 20, 2026.