 Upon being told that Lewis was to be appointed as his deputy, then-Police Commissioner Ray Whitrod reportedly told Newbery that the appointment was "shattering", that it was widely known that Lewis had been one of Frank Bischof's bagmen, and that "everybody in the police force knows that Lewis is corrupt", to which Newbery replied, "Well that was when he was a detective sergeant – he is now an inspector and wouldn’t do that sort of thing".Newbery claimed that the decision had been made by Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen.Lewis's appointment led Whitrod to resign, with Lewis being appointed Police Commissioner in his stead.