Police complaints investigation into top cop Richard Chambers explained

The Independent Police Conduct Authority is investigating complaints made against Police Commissioner Richard Chambers. Both the IPCA and Police are running their own separate investigations, the IPCA announced on 25 June 2026.

The authority has received complaints about the Commissioner but hasn't publicly said what they're about. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on 29 June that he still has confidence in Chambers even though the investigation is happening, according to RNZ.

What led to this

This investigation didn't come out of nowhere. In November 2025, the IPCA released a report about how Police handled complaints against a former senior officer named Jevon McSkimming. The report found problems — Police hadn't set up their investigation properly, and the officer had behaved in ways the IPCA called inexcusable. Chambers publicly acknowledged the findings at the time.

That report started a bigger conversation. A government statement from the same day noted the findings had led to questions about whether Police oversight was strong enough. Behind the scenes, officials had flagged a structural problem that's been discussed for years: Police investigate a lot of complaints against their own officers, which can undermine public trust in the system and discourage people from reporting problems.

How police oversight actually works

The IPCA is supposed to investigate complaints about Police misconduct or neglect of duty. But in reality, Police carry out much of the actual investigating on their own complaints. This creates an obvious tension: Police investigating Police. Critics have pointed this out for a long time. In 2004, a formal Commission of Inquiry was set up specifically to look at whether Police officers had deliberately buried investigations into complaints against colleagues. The government then made changes in 2007, with ministers claiming New Zealanders could now trust how Police handled sexual assault complaints. Later, another inquiry had to be established to examine that exact issue more closely.

What's different now is the person under investigation. Richard Chambers sits at the top of Police as Commissioner — he's the leader of the whole organisation. Investigating the head of the institution is a much bigger deal than investigating a rank-and-file officer or even a district commander.

Why the Prime Minister's backing matters

Luxon saying he has confidence in Chambers puts the government in an awkward spot: publicly supporting someone who is the subject of an active, independent investigation. Ministers usually try to be careful about this — they'll say they back the person while staying quiet about what the investigation actually is. Luxon seems to be doing that.

Whether the government can keep that position depends on what the IPCA actually finds and how soon it publishes its report. The IPCA is independent — it doesn't answer to the government or to Police. Its findings aren't legally binding the way a court decision is, but they carry real weight and usually lead to changes in how Police operates or in the law itself.

For now, Chambers is still in his job, the investigation is ongoing, and the Prime Minister has made his position clear. The next big development will come when the IPCA finishes its investigation and releases what it found.