Richard Chambers announced as new Police Commissioner

Richard Chambers is the new police commissioner, Mark Mitchell has confirmed.

He takes over from Andrew Coster who stepped down last week to instead head up the new Social Investment Agency.

Chambers said the appointment was one of the "highest honours of my life". After spending the past year working in France with Interpol, he said it "was good to be home".

He listed several priorities he promised to focus on, including core policing and to provide support to the frontline. He acknowledged the need for leadership, from district to area commanders. He also stressed the importance of ensuring tax-payers money was being utitilised correctly, and reinvested where there were opportunities.

"There is one thing that that I will never change, and that is I am a constable and a police offer, and it's important the work we do can support police on the front line," he said.

With new gang laws coming into force Thursday, Chambers said his "staff are ready to go from midnight tonight."

He acknowledged the need to earn back the trust of Kiwis, with more falling victim to crime.

Meanwhile, Mitchell clarified the ban on gang patches will not extend to colours of clothing, or tattoos, as Chambers reiterated tough choices would need to be made by gang members, and warned they would "not like the pressure police will bring upon them" to enforce the new law.

Chambers' term is for five years, starting from 25 November.

Chambers, who is currently assistant commissioner, has long been considered a frontrunner for the position and is favoured by frontline police.

His main competition for the job was Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming, with the two of them being interviewed for the role late last month.

The appointment comes at the recommendation of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, on Mitchell's advice. The governor-general will make the official appointment.

It is a critical role for the coalition parties, all of which campaigned heavily on law and order, and were at odds with the former commissioner's approach.

Mitchell was openly critical of Coster's implementation of "policing-by-consent", the principle that police must maintain the support of the public in order to hold legitimacy.

While in opposition, Mitchell vowed to "scrap Labour's policing-by-consent philosophy, which has been a failure, and encourage a back-to-basics policing model".

In December, Mitchell issued a letter of expectations to the commissioner, making clear the government's focus on cracking down on gangs.

"I expect police to be using the full force of the law and the tools and resources it has available, to significantly disrupt gang and organised crime within communities across New Zealand," the letter stated.

The position would require "strong and decisive leadership" to overcome significant challenges to law and order, Mitchell wrote.

"My expectation is that that leadership is evident."

Who is Richard Chambers?

Most recently, Chambers has been seconded to a senior position at Interpol in France.

He joined the police in 1996 as a constable in Avondale and quickly rose through the ranks.

A profile on the police website states that he worked on "some fascinating investigations that included an exorcism, a recluse and a foreign national who travelled the world taking advantage of opportunities using false credentials".

Having been promoted to detective and then inspector, Chambers was appointed the area commander for Lower Hutt in 2007. After that, he held top roles in the Tasman and Southern districts and then Auckland City.

Chambers was promoted to assistant commissioner in 2016, leading investigations into serious and organised crime, and financial crime. He also played a key role during the Covid-19 pandemic, tasked with co-leading the police response.

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Who is the new Police Commissioner, Richard Chambers? First ever female Police Commissioner appointed, on an interim basis Police Commissioner Andrew Coster resigns, to head new Social Investment Agency What is the role of the Police Commissioner and who's in line for the top job? Police Minister Mark Mitchell backs commissioner Andrew Coster

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