Former deputy police commissioner Jevon McSkimming will not face criminal charges following an allegation of sexual misconduct laid by a former female police employee.
Her complaint led to his suspension just before Christmas and inadvertently led to the alleged discovery of child sex exploitation and bestiality material on his work devices.
While he resigned after being confronted by the alleged objectionable material and is now facing prosecution, McSkimming, 52, always denied any wrongdoing in relation to the original complaint.
The complainant, who is much younger than McSkimming and used to work as a non-sworn police employee, met with senior police officers earlier today.
They told her that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute McSkimming, according to a legal opinion from an independent barrister who had reviewed the case.
The complainant declined to comment on the decision of the police when contacted by the Herald.
The Herald has also sought further comment from Police National Headquarters.
Despite the decision to not lay charges, an Independent Police Conduct Authority investigation is still ongoing.
The scope of that investigation is broader. It covers whether there was any “non-criminal misconduct” by McSkimming in relation to the former female employee.
“In addition, the [IPCA] is conducting an independent investigation into whether there has been misconduct or neglect of duty by any other police officer or employee in the course of responding to the allegations,” a spokesperson said previously.
While the original complaint against McSkimming has not led to a prosecution, the investigation did lead to the alleged discovery of pornography on his police work devices.
Among the images were alleged images of child sex exploitation and bestiality.
When confronted by the existence of the alleged objectionable material, McSkimming chose to resign.
If McSkimming had not resigned, Police Minister Mark Mitchell said he would have sacked him anyway.
“I instructed the Public Service Commission to commence the process to remove Mr McSkimming from office after allegations of a very serious nature recently came to light,” Mitchell said at the time.
“The Policing Act is very clear: A Deputy Commissioner of Police must be a ‘fit and proper’ person. They are rightly held to the highest standards of conduct and this new information called into serious question Mr McSkimming’s fitness for office.
“When Mr McSkimming was invited to respond to these allegations he chose to resign. Mr McSkimming’s resignation has confirmed my view that his continuation in the role was untenable.”
The 52-year-old McSkimming was eventually charged with eight counts of possession of objectionable material, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
He is next due to appear in the Wellington District Court in November.
On the same day McSkimming resigned, Police Commissioner Richard Chambers ordered an independent review of the organisation’s IT systems to ensure there were sufficient security measures to prevent and detect the misuse of police technology.
The review, which was released last month, found that the organisation needed more monitoring of staff internet use and stronger filtering mechanisms to guard against “inappropriate or harmful content” being accessed or downloaded.
The review also recommended better oversight of all police-owned devices, including those which sit outside the police network for legitimate work purposes.
As a result, Chambers said he immediately ordered the reintroduction of audits of data and internet usage on police devices. This had been previously halted around five years ago, Chambers said.
The prosecution of McSkimming was a shocking development given he was one of the top candidates to replace Andrew Coster as the Commissioner of Police last year.
McSkimming graduated from Police College in 1996 and spent the first 10 years of his career in frontline roles in Auckland, Southland and the West Coast.
He shifted to the Wellington district for several years in leadership positions, before moving to Police National Headquarters (PNHQ) in 2010 and rising through the ranks there.
In 2023, McSkimming was promoted to deputy commissioner on the recommendation of Chris Hipkins, who was Prime Minister at the time, following a Public Service Commission selection process.
“Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming brings a relatively unique career path within New Zealand Police,” according to a report presented by Hipkins to the Cabinet.
“He has been a police officer for 27 years but, since 2010, McSkimming has used his operational skills across the organisation to shape strategy, service delivery and resolutions, financial planning, arms administration, ICT and infrastructure.”
He was one of two statutory deputy commissioners, an appointment made by the Government, which is an important role within the constitutional framework of police and carries a safeguard of independence from the Police Commissioner.
If Chambers was to be incapacitated, for example, the most senior statutory deputy commissioner takes charge until a new commissioner is appointed.
The departure of McSkimming and the recent retirement of Tania Kura, the other statutory deputy, means there are two vacancies for the influential position in the police executive.
Jared Savage covers crime and justice issues, with a particular interest in organised crime. He joined the Herald in 2006 and has won a dozen journalism awards in that time, including twice being named Reporter of the Year. He is also the author of Gangland, Gangster’s Paradise and Underworld.