# Richard Chambers (police officer)

Richard Chambers is the Commissioner of Police of New Zealand. He succeeded Andrew Coster on 25 November 2024.

## Early life

As a child, Richard Chambers had ambitions of joining the Police and owned a Police imitation helmet at the age of five. He is the son of Auckland barrister Roger Chambers.

## Career

Chambers joined the New Zealand Police in 1996 working as a constable based at Avondale Police station. He was quickly promoted through various ranks including that of detective and inspector. In 1998, Chambers joined the Criminal Investigation Branch and later became a detective.
In 2005, Chambers was promoted to Inspector at the National Police Headquarters in Wellington. In 2007, he was appointed to a senior role as Area Commander for Lower Hutt and continued with other top roles in the Tasman and Southern districts before a stint in Auckland City.
In 2016, Chambers was promoted to the position of Assistant Commissioner, leading investigations into serious and organised crime, and financial crime. He then held a key position during the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand and was tasked with co-leading police response. During the 2022 Wellington protests in March 2022, Chambers defended the use of force by Police to restore order, stating that officers had done an "incredible job in very challenging circumstances."
During the 2020s, Chambers served in a senior role at Interpol in France, but subsequently signalled his intention to return to New Zealand. According to 1News journalist John Campbell, Chambers was involved in an Interpol operation that seized 56 tonnes of cocaine, fifteen planes and a submarine.
On 20 November 2024, Police Minister Mark Mitchell announced Chambers had been appointed to the role of Commissioner, following the early departure of former commissioner Andrew Coster to assume the role of chief executor of the Social Investment Agency. Chambers replaced the interim commissioner Tania Kura on 25 November. Chambers was picked ahead of Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming. Following his appointment, Chambers identified core policing, police safety (including body cameras and tactical equipment) and regaining public trust as "core priorities" of his leadership.
On 26 November, Chambers confirmed plans to open a new police station in Auckland's Federal Street near Aotea Square and the new CRL station.
In late January 2025, Chambers proposed cutting 17 executive-level Police roles and creating 20 new roles as part of a restructure of the Police leadership. Chambers denied that scrapping an executive role focusing on Māori iwi (tribe) and communities would diminish the Police's engagement with Māori, Pasifika and ethnic communities. In mid February 2025, Chambers said that the restructure would allow the Police to reinvest cost savings into frontline roles while spreading executive responsibilities.

## Views and positions

In November 2024, Chambers expressed disagreement with his predecessor Coster's policy of policing by consent, stating:
   I don't talk about policing by consent. I talk about trust and confidence, and it is fundamentally important that the police have the trust and confidence of the public, and we've got some work to do at the moment.
Chambers has also expressed support for enforcing the Gangs Act 2024, which banned gang patches.