Inside Police Commissioner Richard Chambers' first year and how he plans to rebuild trust

A year on from taking the reins as the country's top cop, Police Commissioner Richard Chambers sat down with National Crime Correspondent Sam Sherwood to discuss his first fraught year in the job and how he plans to rebuild trust and confidence in police.

Sitting in an office on the 8th floor of Police National Headquarters, Police Commissioner Richard Chambers reflects on his first year as the country's top cop.

"I love my job," he begins.

"This year has been tough, no doubt about that. I found myself dealing with a lot of things, but I always knew that that's the job that the commissioner has."

For Chambers, the "at times chaotic" year began two days before he took on the role when he was briefed on an investigation into allegations of sexual offending by then Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming.

A month later came another briefing - child sexual exploitation and bestiality material had been found on McSkimming's work devices.

And then, before the year was out the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) released a scathing report into police's handling of allegations made about McSkimming, finding serious misconduct at the highest levels of police - including former Commissioner Andrew Coster.

In a wide-ranging sit-down interview with RNZ, Chambers discusses the last 12 months including the scrapped controversial retail crime thresholds, about 130 police officers under investigation for falsely recording breath tests and how he plans to rebuild trust and confidence.

Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

'I just wanted to be a good policeman'

It was late last year when two men underwent the final interviews for police commissioner, Jevon McSkimming and Richard Chambers.

Both held high ambitions, and both men had taken different routes to the interview table.

For Chambers, he says he joined police in January 1996 as he "just wanted to be a good policeman".

"(I) always wanted to join the police from the time I was a young lad, nothing's changed...

"I never set out to aspire to be the commissioner, but I felt that I had something to add. I'm quite determined to make sure we focus on the right things for our country, and for my workforce. So I decided, yeah, I'm going to give this a go.

"And when I turned up for my interview here in Wellington I put on the table what I stood for, what I understood the priorities needed to be, and gave the choice to other people, and I'm the