Mike's Minute: Richard Chambers is the Police Commissioner we need

Would we be asking the questions of Police Commissioner Richard Chambers if we hadn't been dealing with McSkimming and Coster and Co.? 

From my dealings with Chambers, he is exactly the sort of person who the Police need leading them. 

He is one of those appointments that when it's made, you get it, unlike the Coster appointment. 

When it was made you saw Ardern's fingerprints all over it and history shows how that all worked out. 

From all Chambers' actions so far, he not only had to right the direction of the Police broadly, but tidy up a god-awful mess that, if you believe headlines, has shaken the public's faith in the entire force. 

I don’t actually believe that for a moment. Police, at 15,000 strong, are not rotten, the same way the bad apple in a corporate doesn’t mean the whole business stinks. 

But as a result of the mess, Chambers felt it necessary to share the speeding ticket news. He was going 112km/h, which as far as I know was actually 111km/h. Not that that excuses it, it just keeps getting misreported. 

Then he's down Oriental Parade with Kash Patel having a dip while there is a tsunami warning. He thought it was lifted, but it wasn’t. 

He rang the appropriate people and said sorry and then he was in front of the Parliamentary Select Committee having his minister, Mark Mitchell, heap praise on him, as well he might. 

The point being, are we microanalysing people in public life? 

And if we are, is it useful? 

And if it isn't, which I doubt it is, do we put people off going for top jobs in the public service? 

Can you be a decent operator and completely incident free? Are any of us completely incident free? Is 111km/h even a thing? 

Mea culpa – I go 111km/h every weekend in the country, probably more. A lot of people do. 

Do I take tsunami warnings seriously? Not really. 

Do I take atmospheric rivers seriously? Not really. 

New Zealand overreacts to most things, driven by the digital media who live for clicks. 

So there you go. I doubt I'll make Police Commissioner. 

What I also know is I can't be bothered with the myopic gawking over matters of little or no importance. 

Chambers is clearly a more patient man than I am. But as I say, he seems the real deal and the man for the job. 

How about we let him get on with it and give the nonsense a rest? 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Would we be asking the questions of Richard Chambers police
Commissioner if we hadn't been dealing with mix skimming and
cost and co. Now. Chambers, from my dealings with him,
is exactly the sort of person who the police need
leading them. He is one of those appointments, when it's made,
you get it, unlike Coster's appointment. When it was made,
you saw a durned fingerprints. All labert in history shows
how that worked out. From all his actions so far,

(00:21):
he not only had to write the direction of the
police broadly, but tidy up a god awful mess that
if you believe headlines are shaking the public's faith in
the entire force. Now I don't actually believe that for
a moment. Police at fifteen thousand strong are not rotten,
the same way the bad apple in a corporate doesn't
mean the whole business stinks. But as a result of
the mess, Chambers felt it necessary to share the speeding
ticket news one hundred and twelve, which as far as

(00:42):
I know was actually one hundred and eleven. Not that
that excuses it. It just keeps getting misreported. And then
he's down an Oriental parade with cash Ptel having a
dip while there's a tsunami warning. Now he thought the
tsunami warning was lifted. It wasn't. He had to bring
the appropriate people and say sorry. And then he's in
front this week of the Parliamentary Committee having his minis
to my Mitchell. Heap praise on him as well he might.

(01:02):
The point being are we micro analyzing people in public life?
And if we are, is it useful? And if it isn't,
which I doubt it is, do we put people off
going for top jobs in the public service? Can you
be a decent operator and completely innocent or incident free?
Is any of us completely incident free? Is one hundred
and eleven cays even a thing? I mean may a copper?

(01:23):
I go one hundred and eleven every weekend in the country,
probably more a lot of people do. Do I take
tsunami warning seriously? No? Do I take atmospheric river warning seriously? No?
Read I mean New Zealand Iver reacts to most things
driven by the digital media who live for clicks. So
the year go, I doubt I'll be a police commissioner.
What I also know, as it can't be bothered with
the myopic gawking over matters of little or no importancy.

(01:45):
Chambers is clearly a more patient man than I am,
But as I say, he seems the real deal and
the man for the job. How about we let him
get on with it and give the nonsense arrest. For
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