Commissioner of Police

Richard Chambers became Commissioner of Police on 25 November 2024.

Richard joined Police on 22 January 1996 as a member of Recruit Wing 160.

He graduated in June 1996 as a constable in Avondale, Auckland City. After two years in frontline general duties he joined CIB and qualified as a detective.

He held a number of supervisory roles in Auckland City and later Wellington Districts. In 2005 he was promoted to the rank of inspector in a role leading the development of strategy and policy at Police National Headquarters.

In 2007 he was promoted to the position of Lower Hutt Area Commander, during which time he also served as relieving Wellington District Commander.

During this time he became involved in kapa haka as a way of deepening his understanding of te reo Māori, tikanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

He returned to PNHQ to lead the Mobility workstream of the Policing Excellence programme, which led in 2013 to the introduction of iPhones for Police staff.

Richard was promoted to Superintendent and took the role of Tasman District Commander in February 2012, also relieving as Southern District Commander for six months.

He exchanged one of Police’s most geographically diverse and sparsely populated districts for the smallest and one of the most densely populated on appointment as District Commander in Auckland City, where his career had begun, in 2014.

His time in this role included leading the policing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership discussions in Auckland, and the official visit to the city of then-US Vice-President Joe Biden.

In 2016 Richard was appointed Assistant Commissioner: Investigations, leading investigations, serious and organised crime, including cybercrime, and financial crime.

During his time as Assistant Commissioner: Investigations, he initiated the development and implementation of the Investigations Management Tool, which has become one of the most significant enablers for investigators across the country. He also led the design and implementation of the Reintegration programme to support Police staff involved in critical incidents.

With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand in early 2020, Richard became co-lead of the New Zealand Police response.

Later in 2020 he was appointed Assistant Commissioner: Organised and Serious Crime, then Assistant Commissioner: Districts, supporting the Northland, Waitematā, Auckland City, Counties Manukau, Waikato and Bay of Plenty policing districts, later expanding to include Central and Eastern Districts.

In 2022 he served as national controller of Operation Convoy, the policing of the 23-day illegal occupation of Parliament Grounds and surrounding streets, and in 2023 as the national controller for Operation Gabrielle, the Police response to Cyclone Gabrielle.

In 2024 Richard headed overseas as Director of Organised and Emerging Crime with INTERPOL, based in Lyon, France. This role is responsible for global operations and strategy development focused on criminal networks, vulnerable communities and illicit markets including environmental crime.

Richard holds academic qualifications including an Executive Masters in Public Administration and a Bachelor of Commerce.