The race to fill the two vacant Deputy Commissioner of police roles has narrowed down to four candidates, with interviews expected to be carried out this week, RNZ understands.
After the initial shock at Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming’s resignation in May, one of the questions that emerged was who would replace him.
Then, in July Deputy Commissioner Tania Kura announced her retirement after 37 years in police, leaving both deputy commissioner roles vacant.
RNZ understands there are four people left in the mix for the positions.
Three of the contenders have already been widely speculated – acting Deputy Commissioners Jill Rogers and Mike Johnson, as well as Assistant Commissioner for National and International Security Mike Pannett.
The final contender is believed to be Bruce O’Brien who has been in London since June 2023 as New Zealand police’s senior liaison officer with a responsibility for the United Kingdom, Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Before going to London, O’Brien, who has been in the police for 25 years, was an assistant commissioner.
Rogers joined the police in 1993 and has previously been an area commander at Auckland Central as well as a district commander in Counties Manukau.
Johnson has 37 years of experience in the police, including being the district commander in Tasman.
Pannett is the longest serving of the final four, having joined the police in 1980. His career has included a secondment to the Australian Federal Police’s International Command in 2020 as well as a stint as the New Zealand police liaison officer in Washington DC, covering the United States, Canada, Central and South America. In 2010, he was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to New Zealand police.
RNZ understands the final four will be interviewed this week.
In response to questions from RNZ, Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said inquiries about the selection process for the deputy commissioners should be directed to the Public Service Commission.
“I expect the process to be completed by the end of October.”
A Public Service Commission spokesperson said the public service commissioner, or one of his delegates, in this case the deputy public service commissioner, manages the recruitment process on behalf of the prime minister and the minister of police.
“The chair of the appointment process (in this case the deputy public service commissioner) will provide their recommendations to the minister of police and the prime minister, and as these are statutory appointments, a recommendation for appointment will be lodged with Cabinet for noting before going to the Governor-General for her Excellency’s approval.”
The recruitment process for the two deputy roles is currently underway, the spokesperson said.
“We don’t release information on the appointment process publicly while an appointment process is underway. These processes typically take between 4-6 months to complete, and we expect to announce the appointments by the end of the year.
“The names of candidates will not be released at any stage, to protect their privacy.”
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