Chambers is widely regarded as a “straight arrow” and the political leadership from all sides of Parliament has a great deal invested in his success.
If he needs to resource up and bring in outside senior players from Australia or further afield to introduce more independence into the top ranks and re-establish trust in the police then he should be given the financial resource to do so.
That may be one way to smash the so-called ‘old boys’ club’ culture that initially protected McSkimming from investigations into allegations by the young woman with whom he had an affair.
An Inspector-General of Police will now be appointed.
That person needs to be given the power to delve into historic issues that still rankle.
Not just the fallout from the McSkimming affair – widely traversed elsewhere in the Herald through courageous investigative reporting by Jared Savage and incisive comment from Katie Harris – but by also digging into the police culture overseen by former Police Commissioner Andrew “Cuddles” Coster.
That culture has been lacking.
Women’s rights activist Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, otherwise known as Posie Parker, had to abort her Let Women Speak tour when her speech in Auckland’s Albert Park was drowned out by counter-protesters who dwarfed her supporters by at least 10 to one.
Police were ineffective on the day.
But what was outrageous was the fact that it took a social media campaign by longtime Auckland hospitality boss Leo Molloy, who runs the popular Headquarters bar in the downtown Viaduct Harbour, to first identify a young man who punched a 72-year-old woman in the face, then have him face charges.
Molloy ended up doing the police’s job.
The unfortunate subtext was that police top brass were seen to have been so on song with the former Government’s culture war agendas that this had filtered down into the ranks.
Does that mindset endure today?
The major on Coster’s watch was the occupation of Parliament’s grounds in 2022.
The IPCA issued a 200 plus page report which found almost all officers exercised professionalism and restraint dealing with a “level of public disorder rarely seen in New Zealand”.
The IPCA said all police defensive measures that day – including shields, pepper spray and batons – were justified. But it also found some isolated incidents of potentially excessive force by officers, which were being investigated separately.
So, there are pluses.
Across the ditch, Coster’s predecessor as commissioner is facing opprobrium.
Now Victoria Police Chief Commissioner, Mike Bush has defended his use of a police helicopter to travel to Hobart for a conference.
He said it was “the wrong decision” and he “should have been more patient and more diligent in terms of taking a commercial flight instead of using a helicopter”.
Coster has been stood down and placed on leave from his role as chief executive of the Social Investment Agency.
He is unlikely to be reinstated when discussions with Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche are concluded.
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