Richard Chambers: Police Commissioner on the death of Tom Phillips, recovery of the children

The Police Commissioner says they're very relieved to have safely recovered the children of Marokopa fugitive Tom Phillips after nearly four years. 

He was shot dead by Police in the early hours of yesterday on a rural Waikato road following a burglary. 

One child was with him, the two others were found in the afternoon at a remote campsite. 

Richard Chambers told Mike Hosking it took them a while to recover the children, but they'd been told there were firearms at the campsite. 

He says the way the situation played out was not something they wanted, but they suspected it could end that way.  

Chambers says the injured officer who was shot multiple times remains in Waikato Hospital. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So after virtually four years, the Tom Phillips saga came
to a conclusion yesterday in dramatic fashion. Phillips is dead,
a police officer remains in critical condition, but the children
are safe, with the remaining two haven't been found. Late afternoon,
Richard Chambers, Police Commissioner, with us. Good morning, Good morning, Mike.
As we sit here this morning, the overarching approach of
the police in allowing this to go as long as
it did, your views are what.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Well, look, First of all, Mike, I am very very
relieved that we have safely recovered the children. Our goal
was always to ensure their safe recovery. It was also
to ensure the safe arrest of mister Phillips. That played
out in a way yesterday morning that none of us
hoped would occur, but it did. Yes, it's taken a while,

(00:46):
and I know there'll be questions, but I've been brief
throughout this process. I know my staff have worked very
very hard for a very long time in very challenging circumstances, dances,
and you know, it'sbviously a lot of work to do
now in terms of putting the puzzle together, but I
know how hard they've worked and I'm just very very

(01:07):
relieved that the children have been recovered safetly.

Speaker 1 (01:10):
I think we all are. Having said that, when you
talk about the questions, who's asking the questions? And are
you asking the questions of yourself? And is that an
official process?

Speaker 2 (01:19):
Absolutely it is, Mike, guess. Look, we ask questions of
ourselves all the time. Even I have been involved in
that this year while I've been the commissioner. I've visited
staff at their operation day. So I've visited staff out
in the field and the bush late at night. You know,
I've shown them my best support. And we've always asked
questions of ourselves. We challenge ourselves. We've spoken to other

(01:40):
law enforcement, we've spoken with private providers of capability. We've
done everything, and my staff have done a magnificent job,
very very challenging circumstances.

Speaker 1 (01:52):
That sounds like, because I was going to ask, was
this a deliberate approach? In other words, were you worried
that the children would be harmed therefore you didn't want
to bring it to a dramatic conclusion or your comments
previously indicate that perhaps you were looking but you simply
couldn't find them.

Speaker 2 (02:06):
No, Look, we have always been very very concerned, Mike.
We knew that we were dealing with an armed, a
dangerous and a very motivated individual in mister Phillips, and
we had to be very very cautious about the approach
that we have taken. You know, that played out yesterday
morning in a way that we suspected it could, which
is not something that any of us wanted. But our

(02:29):
assessment of the situation over the last four years has
been spot on and that was shown yesterday morning when
we confronted mister Phillips. He shot one of my staff
and we had to return fire. And we have always
been concerned that that may be exactly what occurred, and

(02:51):
of course that may also involve the children.

Speaker 1 (02:55):
When you found the camp and the two kids at
the camp last night, was it a place where you
thought it's no, we didn't find it, or was it
a place you thought, hell, we should have been here sooner.

Speaker 2 (03:04):
Well, look, we are very confident that this is not
the location where they have spent a considerable amount of time.
We believe they have been moving around. The terrain in
this area is challenging and they've been on the move
and they were deep in the bush about two kilometers
away from where the shooting occurred yesterday morning, and we

(03:25):
also had information that there were further firearms at this
camp site. So again, yes, it took us a while
to ensure the safe fortaviy of the children yesterday, but
we had to take that approach because we knew that
there were firearms present and we could not we could
not risk anything plan out that might compromise the safety
of those children. All my staff.

Speaker 1 (03:45):
Correct me if I've got this wrong, But the officer
going to the burglary was by himself. Back up was coming,
but in an area where you knew he probably was
and there would be a burglary or some sort of
issue in the early hours of a morning. Why was
a singular police office are going to something like that?

Speaker 2 (04:02):
Well, look, I was in Albourne yesterday. I got a
phone call it one forty seven in the morning and
as soon as that happened, I jumped onto our police
system and I had a look at the number of
units that were in the area at the time. And yes,
that support was close by and that obviously played out
yesterday morning, thank heavens, with the backup that was there
on the spot. So he was in a car police

(04:23):
on his own, but he was with his colleagues y
Saturday morning, so I'm confident that that support was what
I would want it to be.

Speaker 1 (04:30):
Okay, how is he?

Speaker 2 (04:33):
Look, he's spent most of yesterday and surgery. He's got
serious injuries to his head and his shoulder, and I'm
looking really forward to gain seeing him and his family
this morning. In the way.

Speaker 1 (04:44):
The thing that's bugged me the whole time is this
community thing whereby somehow this guy's a hero or he's
allowed to do what he wants to do, or I
don't understand that. Do you deal with that? Is that
common in rural New Zealand?

Speaker 2 (04:58):
You mean in respective mister Phillips. Yeah, he's not a hero.

Speaker 1 (05:02):
No, I know that. I know that. But people defend him.
They still defend him to this day.

Speaker 2 (05:06):
Oh oh sure. Look, look you know there's I'm sure
there are some in the community who may defend him. Look,
we just deal with the situation that we need to
in a way that the community and the public would
expect us to. And our priority has always been the
safer rest of mister Phillips and the safe recovery of

(05:27):
the children. I respective of what people's views may be,
whether that's himself or other people in the community, So
we just get on with the job. Very proud of
myselff who've done a remarkable job, and I'm just very.

Speaker 1 (05:37):
Very relieved appreciate time Richard Chambers police commission him. For
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