Former police watchdog boss appointed acting ACT Integrity Commissioner

Michael Adams QC will start in the role on January 12, speaker of the ACT Legislative Assembly Joy Burch announced on Tuesday.

The appointment comes as an external recruitment agency continues the search for a permanent replacement for inaugural commissioner Dennis Cowdroy, who announced his resignation in November - less than a year after the territory's anti-corruption watchdog was formed.

A full-time replacement was expected to be appointed by mid-2021.

A former NSW Supreme Court justice, Mr Adams was most recently chief commissioner of NSW's Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.

The police oversight body's inaugural boss, Mr Adams left the position in controversial circumstances after his contract wasn't renewed by the NSW government.

The Australian earlier this year reported Mr Adams had stepped down amid animosity between him and one of his top offsiders, who had lodged a complaint about his boss in June last year.

Mr Adams had been running a high-profile public inquiry into strip searches by NSW police, which had uncovered cases of officers misusing their power.

Reportedly outspoken throughout his three-year term with the commission, Mr Adams made headlines in December when he told a NSW parliamentary inquiry that police were passing inside information to bikie gangs.

The Canberra Times could not reach Mr Adams for comment on Tuesday.

Emeritus Professor John McMillan has been appointed as alternate acting ACT Integrity Commissioner.

As of December 1, which marked 12 months of operation, the ACT Integrity Commissioner had received 140 complaints about alleged corrupt conduction, with three matters under investigation.

The commission has not disclosed any information about the investigations or the complaints.

It was expected to publish its first annual report late last week, but that has been delayed until next month.