Four up for next top cop

The search is narrowing for replacement Police Commissioner. Photo / Janna Dixon

The search for New Zealand's next top cop has been narrowed down to four people.

Commissioner Howard Broad announced his retirement earlier this year and will step down in March.

A police source told the Herald on Sunday four people had been shortlisted and interviewed for his position: Deputy Commissioners Rob Pope and Viv Rickard, Solomon Islands Commissioner Peter Marshall and New Zealand Customs Service chief executive Martyn Dunne.

Dunne has been in his Customs role since 2004. Before that he spent 27 years in the New Zealand Defence Force. Dunne's military service included appointments with the New Zealand SAS. Elected chairperson of the World Customs Organization in 2008, Dunne is a graduate of the Australian College of Defence and Strategic Studies and the Australian Command and Staff College. He has a Master's in strategic studies from Melbourne's La Trobe University.

Meanwhile, Marshall was formerly an Assistant Commissioner in New Zealand and Deputy Commissioner Operations for the Solomon Islands Police Force.

And Rickard is the first Maori Deputy Commissioner while Pope headed the Marlborough Sounds murder inquiry into the deaths of Olivia Hope and Ben Smart. Pope now heads police operations.

The police commissioner role combines two positions: chief constable and chief executive. The chief constable heads the police force and is responsible for all policing and cases.

As chief executive the commissioner is responsible for assets and a budget of $1.4 billion.

The application process for the position is run by the State Services Commission on behalf of Police Minister Judith Collins.