Jevon McSkimming. Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER
The country's second-most senior police officer is on leave pending an investigation which RNZ understands relates to inappropriate conduct with a more junior staff member.
Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming was one of the finalists in the race for the commissioner role after Andrew Coster resigned earlier this year.
That job went to Richard Chambers, and McSkimming is now under separate investigations by the police and the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA), the New Zealand Herald reports.
RNZ understands it relates to inappropriate conduct with a more junior staff member.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell said it was inappropriate to comment while the investigations were underway.
Police Association president Chris Cahill said: "I don't comment about active officer investigations, especially given the very limited public information."
RNZ has approached the police and IPCA for comment.
Who is Jevon McSkimming?
The 51-year-old joined police in 1996 and had served in Auckland and Southland.
He had been a big advocate for rural policing and since landing at police national headquarters has been a steady performer.
McSkimming led a programme to improve emergency services communication systems - the Next Generation Critical Communications Programme - as well as the move from Holden to Skoda police cars, and revamps of IT systems.
He was one of the obvious candidates for the top job when it came up, but it was awarded to Chambers.
During the process of hiring a new commissioner, people were invited to come forward with any problems or complaints they may have about the candidates.
For example, in 2019, Deputy Commissioner Mike Clement was in the running after managing the Whakaari White Island recovery and the government's gun buyback law following the March 2019 Christchurch mosque attack. Clement was a highly regarded, public face of the force - but during the process of appointing a new commissioner it was revealed a complaint had been made about his conduct, and the IPCA investigated.
The nature of the complaint and investigation was not known, but he did not get the job.
It was unclear whether any complaints against McSkimming also came through this process.
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