Police Commissioner Richard Chambers says he wants time to implement changes within NZ Police as he responds to calls for a stronger inquiry into police culture from the woman at the centre of the Jevon McSkimming scandal.
The woman, dubbed Ms Z due to suppression orders, spoke exclusively to the Herald about the “ongoing nightmare” she had suffered at the hands of the former Deputy Police Commissioner.
She had sent hundreds of anonymous emails over years, alleging McSkimming was a sexual predator who had groomed her.
While McSkimming had admitted a consensual affair with the much younger woman – she was 21 at the time, he was 42 – he denied the allegations and claimed she was motivated by revenge.
For years, this narrative was accepted by McSkimming’s supervisors, who instead used the emails as evidence to prosecute Ms Z amid McSkimming’s intention to replace outgoing Police Commissioner Andrew Coster.
But the failure of the highest-ranking police officers in New Zealand to investigate her repeated allegations against McSkimming was condemned in a scathing report by the Independent Police Conduct Authority in November.
Current Police Commissioner Richard Chambers, who has stated he was not aware of McSkimming’s actions or the allegations until two days before becoming commissioner last year, has apologised publicly and denounced the “unacceptable” treatment Ms Z received.
He has also supported the Government’s decision to implement all recommendations from the IPCA report and endorsed the introduction of an Inspector-General watchdog for NZ Police.
However, Ms Z told the Herald she felt a more powerful inquiry into police culture was warranted.
“I saw at the recent Police College graduation, Richard Chambers effectively said ‘I just want to move on’, repeatedly,” she said.
“But there is some concerning behaviour in the wider police which needs more scrutiny. The police need to change their attitudes.”
Chambers, speaking to the Herald this morning, explained his comments reflected his eagerness to implement new practices to ensure such an experience didn’t occur again.
“In terms of her reflection in this morning’s article, that is not about me saying, ‘Oh come on, let’s just get on with it this’ ... I would be uncomfortable if she felt that that suggested that.
“It’s not that, quite the opposite.
“What she has experienced, it’s atrocious and I hope that I have that opportunity to apologise, but I’d like her to also realise that we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
The “work” included audits and investigations regarding officers’ use of police devices to access inappropriate material, triggered after McSkimming was found to have used work devices to view objectionable publications, including child sexual exploitation and bestiality.
Chambers was also hiring new members to NZ Police’s executive team, including two deputy police commissioners.
“We’ve got to move on from the situation ... it’s a chapter that we will not be proud of in our history,” he said.
“I’d like [Ms Z] to be reassured about how seriously I take this whole situation and the things that we need to do, and that’s what I want to get on with.”
Asked about Ms Z’s call for a wider inquiry, Chambers said that decision sat with the Government.
Pressed for his personal view, Chambers said he hoped to have the opportunity to show progress through changes he was enacting.
“I’d like some time to be able to demonstrate that I’m putting things in place that are going to be helpful to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
In a statement, Police Minister Mark Mitchell said there were no plans for a wider inquiry “at this stage”.
“The IPCA investigation was very thorough, and there are further investigations underway,” he said.
“The Police Commissioner and the Government have accepted all of the recommendations. As a Government, we are taking steps to prevent this happening again, including the establishment of an Inspector General.”
Labour Party police spokeswoman Ginny Andersen indicated she could support another inquiry if the public’s trust and confidence in police wasn’t improved.
“If that isn’t happening, then Labour would support a broader inquiry into police culture to ensure people feel safe and have trust and confidence in the police service.”
Upon the IPCA report becoming public, Chambers contacted Ms Z’s legal representative to apologise on behalf of NZ Police and expressed his desire to convey that apology in person in the future.
Chambers said he hoped to have that meeting next year.
“One thing I would like to talk to her about is what I have done as commissioner.
“I was not personally a part of this whole situation, in fact, I never knew anything about it, so she can have confidence in me in that I’m going to do my best for her.
“I want her to have confidence in what me and my new leadership team [are] doing for her and that’s the sort of conversation I’d like to have with her probably in the new year ... just give us the opportunity and see what I can do between now and then and see how she accepts the work that we’ll be putting in and we’ve already started.”
Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald’s Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for NZME since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland.