Detective Senior Sergeant Malcolm Inglis assumed the role on September 6 following the retirement of Detective Senior Sergeant Colin Blackie.
Formerly the head of the Southern district organised crime squad, Det Snr Sgt Inglis said the opportunity had come at the right time.
His three children had left school and Dunedin, giving him the freedom to take up a new challenge after 39 years with the police in the city.
He felt an "affinity" with the Lakes district after enjoying holidays in Arrowtown in recent years.
Leading a team of about a dozen staff covering the Queenstown, Wanaka and Alexandra CIBs, he aimed to keep it a "really safe place".
"It’s driven by tourism, and the way the world is at the moment, people want to holiday in safer destinations."
Although the area’s relatively transient population could pose challenges when investigating crime, the police played a major role in ensuring people could "have a good time in a safe environment".
Det Snr Sgt Inglis will be familiar with the inner workings of the Queenstown police station after heading an internal police inquiry into a bungled drugs bust in the town.
Sale of cannabis drugs charges against two Queenstown men were dropped at a pre-trial hearing in August last year.
Judge Bernadette Farnan said the officer in charge of the investigation, Constable Jason Reid, was "reckless" and "sloppy".
In June this year, police refused a request under the Official Information Act to release Det Snr Sgt Inglis’ inquiry report.
