Bob served as the Commissioner of the Queensland Police Service (QPS) for 12 years from 2000 until his retirement in October 2012. In a 44 year policing career, Bob served from Goondiwindi to Cairns in a range of roles, including as a prosecutor and 20 years as a detective.

After his retirement from the QPS, Bob was appointed as one of six Commissioners of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, which ran from 2012 to 2017. Bob is currently serving as Chair of Queensland’s nine-member Truth, Healing and Reconciliation Taskforce helping guide implementation of reforms arising from the Royal Commission.

In 2018, Bob was appointed as a Special Advisor to the Queensland Government to examine and report on a range of youth justice matters. In 2019, Bob was honoured as a Queensland Great in recognition of his continuing service to the Queensland community.