Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming. Photo / Mark Mitchell
By Sam Sherwood of RNZ
The Police Commissioner has emailed staff saying he is aware many are “angry and feel let down” after revelations that child exploitation and bestiality material were allegedly found on the former Deputy Commissioner’s work devices.
“I feel the same,” Richard Chambers told staff in an email.
Jevon McSkimming resigned as the country’s second-most-powerful cop in May amid separate investigations by the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) and police.
His resignation came a week after RNZ approached him, via his lawyer, with allegations about material found on his work devices.
RNZ earlier revealed pornography found on McSkimming’s work devices was being investigated as alleged objectionable material.
On Friday, an interim injunction that prohibited publishing the nature of the allegedly objectionable material lapsed after Justice Karen Grau declined McSkimming’s application to continue the order.
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said on Friday that he was unable to comment at that time.
He has since sent an email to staff, seen by RNZ.
In the email, Chambers addressed the media reports “in relation to an individual”.
“I am aware that there are many who are angry and feel let down. I feel the same.
“It is important to let you know at this point I am unable to comment on the matter, but I do intend to do so when I am able to.
“As I have said before, I have high expectations of all police staff and will act if standards are not met, irrespective of rank or role.
“These are the actions of an individual, and I will do my best not to let it distract from the job we are all here to do.
“However, I am aware there may be reactions from some that do not sit easily with you.”
Chambers said if any staff wanted to talk, they could contact him or their manager.
RNZ has spoken to several police officers after the order lapsed on Friday evening, each of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity.
A senior police officer told RNZ the news was “a sad time for New Zealand Police”.
If the allegations were found to be true, the officer felt “he’s betrayed us all”.
Another police officer said they were “very disappointed” to hear of the allegations – “especially someone at that level of leadership”.
“I hope all details of his alleged offending will be revealed as soon as possible. At police college, we got a talk about how much the historic[al] sexual abuse allegations from Rotorua tarnished our image. They would stop someone during a routine traffic stop and be told ‘just don’t rape me’. Many years after the allegation came out people were still talking about it.”
A former police officer told RNZ the allegations would have a “significant impact” on frontline staff.
They had spoken to several serving police officers following the news, many of whom were “gutted”.
He said one former staffer told them McSkimming would not be welcome near a police station again. Others expressed frustration at the reputational damage to the police.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell declined to comment on Friday.
After McSkimming’s resignation, Mitchell accepted trust in the police could take a hit. But he told reporters he hoped the public realised New Zealand had a “world-class police force”.
“The public are savvy enough to know that you are going to have isolated cases of bad behaviour, but they also recognise the fact that our police act very quickly to deal with that,” Mitchell said.
As an ex-cop, the police’s reputation was very important to him, Mitchell said.
“I hope that the public see through [this] and realise that we have got an outstanding police force, we’ve got incredible police officers.
“Yes, like any big large organisation, if there’s bad behaviour, or you get people who don’t hold to the values ... then quick action is taken.
“In this case, even though it involves one of our most senior police officers, you’ve seen that action was taken very quickly to make sure that that public confidence can be maintained.”
McSkimming’s lawyer Linda Clark was earlier granted a rare “super injunction” by Justice Grau that prohibited reporting the existence of the injunction itself, as well as the nature of the allegedly objectionable material.
After a teleconference held by Justice Cheryl Gwyn, the order prohibiting publication of the nature of the allegedly objectionable material was continued – but the order prohibiting the existence of the injunction was not continued, meaning RNZ could report the fact of McSkimming’s application and the interim result.
On June 3, a hearing was held in the High Court at Wellington before Justice Grau in relation to the injunction. RNZ, NZME and Stuff were jointly represented by Robert Stewart, KC.
On July 11, Justice Grau released her judgment, declining McSkimming’s application, but her reasons for doing so were suppressed and the existing interim injunction was continued to allow McSkimming time to consider his appeal options, should he wish to do so.
No notice of appeal was filed, and RNZ can now report the type of objectionable publication purportedly found on his work devices.
In November last year, McSkimming was placed on “special leave” as the IPCA and then police carried out their separate investigations. RNZ understands it was during the police’s investigation that the alleged objectionable material was found on his work devices. A second criminal investigation was then launched.
At the injunction hearing, Clark, McSkimming’s lawyer, alleged information deemed “essential” to the investigation had been leaked to the media, who were intending to publish the information.
The information gathered during the police investigation was “confidential”, she said.
Clark said that every time police had provided some substantive piece of information to McSkimming, it had appeared within the media “in a day or two days, without exception”.
Clark said there was public interest in McSkimming’s situation, but that interest had been served by the reporting to date.
Stewart said there were two sorts of harm that could be considered, one of which was harm to the police investigation. He said the police had no concern that further disclosure of the material would impact their investigation.
In relation to privacy, Stewart said McSkimming was “quite clearly” a public figure.
“There is a huge public interest in these investigations into Mr McSkimming’s abrupt resignation from office, first working day after he had been provided with the material by the Public Service Commission.”
Stewart said his clients submitted that, if the interim restraint should be continued, then “matters should be left to take their course, if there is to be any restraining at all, it should be as limited as possible for as short as possible”.
At the time of McSkimming’s resignation Police Minister Mark Mitchell said he was recently informed of allegations of a “very serious nature”, separate to the investigation that led to him being suspended.
“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 IPCA earlier announced it was investigating allegations of misconduct by McSkimming following a complaint from a member of the public.
It is also conducting an investigation into if there was misconduct or neglect of duty by any other police officers or employee in responding to the allegations.
The investigations were being given priority, but no timeframe for their completion date could be given.
McSkimming was one of the final two candidates for New Zealand’s top cop job last year, with Chambers eventually appointed Police Commissioner.
McSkimming was promoted to statutory deputy commissioner in 2023 on the recommendation of then Prime Minister Chris Hipkins.
Late last year he was overseeing road policing and operational services, which include strategy, media and communications, risk and assurance, and firearms regulation and reform.
During his appointment process, it was noted he had a “relatively unique career path”, working at police headquarters since 2010 across a range of areas: strategy, service delivery, resolution, financial planning, arms admin, ICT and infrastructure.
McSkimming joined the police in 1996 and worked on the front line in Auckland and Southland.
He had also been responsible for large restructures – as well as managing police IT systems, property portfolio, vehicles, and launching the 105 non-emergency number.
– RNZ