Exactly a year on from the alleged murder of Nelson policewoman Lyn Fleming, the country’s top cop has walked her beat to honour her and support her still-grieving colleagues.
In the early hours of January 1, 2025, Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming, 62,
Slain Nelson policewoman Lyn Fleming remembered as Police Commissioner joins New Year beat
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To mark the sad anniversary – and to support Fleming’s colleagues – Commissioner Richard Chambers spent New Year’s Eve patrolling the same area.
He told the Herald previously that he had known Fleming personally for many years.
He, like her family, friends and police mates, was still reeling over her violent death.
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“I knew Lyn, I worked with Lyn. She was an absolute superstar,” he said.
“She was one of the most impressive policewomen that I’ve ever worked with. She was a person that I used to call on when I was the Tasman District Commander, when I had a particularly tough issue or thing that I needed to find a sensible way forward for.
“Lynn helped me many times deal with things. She was a remarkable woman who I’m personally very proud to have known and worked with. But all New Zealanders can be proud of the calibre of a police officer like Lyn Fleming.”
Hayden Tasker, 32, is facing six charges, including the murder of Fleming and the attempted murder of Ramsay.
He is due to go on trial in the High Court at Christchurch in May 2026.
Fleming was the first police officer ever killed in the line of duty in the Nelson area, and the first female police officer killed on the job in New Zealand.
“The right place for me to be on this New Year’s Eve is Nelson, alongside my colleagues who have had a tough year,” Chambers said.
“I’ve made that decision because I know that the team down there, have done it tough - we’ve all done it tough, but not as much as Lyn’s people down there in Nelson and Tasman.
“So I’m going to be out there with them through the night.”
Chambers started his shift “getting behind the barbecue” and feeding those on the late shift.
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Then he headed out on the street with Superintendent Tracy Thompson, the Tasman District Commander.
“It’s just the right place to be this year because of Lyn’s death,” he said.
“Both police officers and our civilian colleagues sacrifice a lot because we’ve got a job to do.
“It’s no different for me. I want to be working on New Year’s Eve with my staff because I’m just like them, and I want to be there to support them.”
A police spokesperson said there were no major incidents during Chambers’ frontline shift.
“There were no arrests reported and good behaviour all round,” they confirmed.
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Chambers said it wouldn’t just be Nelson staff thinking of Fleming on the anniversary of the brutal incident.
“Police staff working across the country on New Year’s Eve will know that it was that night when Lyn was doing her job and lost her life,” he said.
“You know, we’ll be thinking about this for many years to come … I think New Year’s Eve this year is going to be tough, and I have no doubt that through the entire evening it won’t just be my Nelson staff that have that on their mind.”
The country’s top cop said would always be proud of his mate Fleming – her contribution to policing and her dedication to the people in and behind the blue uniform.
“Lyn was a remarkable policewoman who many, many police officers over the years have looked up to,” he said.
“She was a mentor to many in their careers. She was a person who dealt with the really hard stuff and did so incredibly well.
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“My enduring memory of Lyn is a policewoman that the entire country can be proud of. She was such a bright soul who made the tough stuff a little bit easier to manage because she was such a supporting leader.
“And, I know that my experience with Lyn is no different to many hundreds of others who have come across her in their careers.”
Anna Leask is a senior journalist who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 20 years with a particular focus on family and gender-based violence, child abuse, sexual violence, homicides, mental health and youth crime. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on nzherald.co.nz