Who is Richard Chambers, the new Commissioner of Police?

Richard Chambers has been appointed as the new Commissioner of Police. Photo / George Heard

• Police Minister Mark Mitchell has announced that Richard Chambers will be the new Police Commissioner.
• Chambers joined the police in 1996 and made an early impression on senior detectives in Auckland.
• The 52-year-old rose quickly through the ranks, and most recently had a leadership role within Interpol in France.

It had been one of those weeks for New Zealand Police. On a Wednesday evening in Hamilton, a man with a high-powered rifle opened fire on police officers outside his home. The following morning in Auckland, a man pulled a woman from her car, then held a gun to her head in a hostage situation.

Each call-out was potentially life or death, and both times the police shot the armed offenders: the hijacker in Auckland survived his injuries, the shooter in Hamilton did not.

In a country where officers are not routinely armed, any shooting in the line of duty will come under close scrutiny by the independent police watchdog, politicians and the media.

It was left to Assistant Commissioner Richard Chambers to front a press conference on July 15, 2021 to explain what happened.

He outlined the known facts in each case, expressed sympathy to the grieving family of the deceased, and confirmed the decision-making and actions of the police officers involved would be investigated thoroughly.

Then he went a little bit further.

“What I would like to say is that my staff have done a remarkable job today,” said Chambers, praising the courage of the officers.

“We’re working hard to provide sufficient support to our own people to ensure that they make the best possible recovery from what is a very traumatic and challenging situation.”

It was a small gesture by Chambers but it did not go unnoticed by police staff across the country.

For several years, the front line had felt increasingly under attack. Once a rare occurrence, officers were now being threatened with firearms on a near-daily basis.

One of their own, Constable Matthew Hunt, had been brutally shot and killed, and tit-for-tat gang shootings were now commonplace. Being a police officer in New Zealand was more dangerous than it’s ever been, and - fairly or not - those walking the beat did not feel supported by police brass and politicians in Wellington.

The comments by Chambers hit the right note with staff, with a number mentioning the press conference in conversations with the Herald at the time. They believed that he understood the pressures they faced, and hoped he would one day get the top job in their organisation.

Someone else who was listening was Mark Mitchell, the National Party spokesman for the police portfolio, who was keeping his ear to the ground. As to be expected, Mitchell was a harsh critic of the Labour Government’s approach to law and order issues, and the incumbent Police Commissioner Andrew Coster was sometimes dragged into the political debate.

Now the Police Minister, it was Mitchell who announced earlier today that Richard Chambers would be the Commissioner of Police for the next five years.

“Richard has served in the police for nearly 30 years. He is highly respected, a top leader, with a deep understanding of frontline policing,” Mitchell said.

“His operational experience and proven record of delivering effective change in complex and challenging operational environments, will be a major asset for police.”

Police Minister Mark Mitchell (left) has today announced that Richard Chambers (right) will be the new Commissioner of Police. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Richard Preston Chambers, 52, is a married father of two daughters. The son of a prominent criminal defence lawyer, Roger Chambers, he was born and raised in Auckland.

He spent his teenage years at Auckland Grammar School, then studied a business degree at the University of Auckland. Chambers joined the police in January 1996 and started his career at the Avondale station.

The young constable soon caught the attention of veteran officers in the city.

“He was keen. Enthusiastic. Bright. He was bloody good,” said Bruce Good, who was the senior detective in charge at the Avondale station at the time.

It was Good who encouraged Chambers to qualify as a detective and acted as a mentor in his early years. Although they didn’t work together in the same station for long, Good remembers Chambers as one to watch.

“He was always destined to go higher,” said Good, now retired after an impressive career as the detective inspector in charge of Auckland’s drug squads.

“At that stage, you don’t know how high they can go. But I’m not surprised [that Chambers is now the Police Commissioner].”

Another senior officer in Auckland at the time was also impressed by Chambers early in his career.

“He stood out in that crop of graduates. The job isn’t for everyone but there was something about his demeanour which made you think: ‘He gets it’,”

The veteran detective drew a comparison between Richard Chambers and his father, who is highly respected for his advocacy skills in court by fellow counsel and judges.

“Roger has a way of speaking that people are drawn to him. Richard is the same. He is confident when he talks, people listen, and they follow.”

After joining the CIB, Chambers moved through the frontline ranks in Auckland and Wellington as a sergeant, detective sergeant and senior sergeant.

In 2005, he shifted into police national headquarters as the inspector in charge of developing strategy and policy, then appointed as the area commander for Lower Hutt two years later.

Stints as the district commander for Tasman and Auckland followed before Chambers moved back to Wellington as an assistant commissioner in 2016.

He held several portfolios in that time including oversight of serious and organised crime investigations (2016-2020), as well as the police districts in the upper half of the North Island (2020-2024).

During that time, Chambers took a lead role marshalling the troops during the Covid-19 pandemic, and was later put in charge of the operation to remove the mandate protesters occupying the grounds of Parliament in early 2022.

Despite living in Wellington for most of that time, Chambers was renowned for getting out of the capital and visiting stations across the country.

Richard Chambers (left) with senior detectives at the Operation Coin raids on the Head Hunters motorcycle gang pad in Auckland in September 2017. Photo / NZME

The Herald is aware of numerous instances where Chambers has turned up, unannounced and without fanfare, at a routine checkpoint or cordon to chat with the staff on duty.

Or when officers were celebrating a milestone, or recovering from an injury, there are countless examples of Chambers sending a personal message of support.

Unsurprisingly, being a familiar face made him a favourite among frontline staff although the sentiment was not universally shared by the previous police executive under his predecessor.

Chambers’ naked ambition to become the next Police Commissioner meant that some did not trust him, while others were promoted ahead of him into deputy commissioner roles in recent years.

After being passed over again, Chambers went on secondment earlier this year to accept a senior role at Interpol, the global network of police forces, based in France.

When he got the job as Interpol’s director of organised and emerging crime, Chambers told the Herald that he was excited about the new opportunity but also looking forward to returning to the New Zealand Police one day.

It was a clear signal of intent to apply for the top job, although a change of Government accelerated the process.

The exit of Coster before his term officially ended meant that the National-led coalition could appoint a new leader to implement its law and order policies. It is not a coincidence that Mitchell announced the appointment of Chambers as the Gangs Act comes into force.

“It is good to be home,” Chambers said at the press conference announcing his appointment today. “To lead the organisation that I’ve been a part of for nearly 30 years, is one of the highlights of my life.”

He wasted no time in laying out his priorities, which was to express his admiration for frontline staff and to improve the public’s trust and confidence in the police.

“We must remain focused on doing the basics well. My expectation ... is that my leaders are visible, connected to the front line, and accountable. That’s what leadership does.”

Many police officers, past and present, are comparing the appointment of Chambers to when the National Government of 2010 picked Peter Marshall as the Police Commissioner.

Marshall was seen as a cop with a strong operational background, and an innate ability to connect with staff. Marshall was also called in from an overseas secondment to try and close the divide that had grown between the police national headquarters and the districts.

Boosting morale among police staff - which has been depleted by the Covid years, drawn-out pay negotiations, and cost-cutting across the organisation - will no doubt be a focus for Chambers as he starts his new job.

But supporters say it would be a mistake to underestimate his strategic and political skills of “Felix” (a nickname bestowed on Chambers after a cat needed to be euthanised on the first few days of his career) which are also necessary abilities to navigate the halls of power in Wellington.

“To the casual observer, Felix is an operational cop. That is his happy place because he is a people person, and gets a lot of enjoyment from the frontline stuff,” a senior police source told the Herald.

“But his strategic and negotiating skills are definitely underrated. He’s politically astute and behind closed doors, he is a sharp operator and he likes to get s*** done.”

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 and Gangster’s Paradise.