Revealed: prominent Detective Inspector under employment investigation as police look again at dozens of cases
Tuesday, 7 July 2026
The senior police officer under an employment investigation over concerns about the management of adult sexual assault and child abuse cases can be named as prominent Detective Inspector Kevan Verry.
Police are re-investigating 54 cases after concerns about one historic case led to a review of almost 1,000 files under Verry’s oversight, mostly in Northland.
Verry told Stuff the scale of the review was “news to me”.
The three-decade police veteran has led and fronted numerous high-profile investigations and is currently field crime manager for the National Gang Unit at Police National Headquarters.
The police officer under an employment investigation over concerns about his oversight of sexual assault and child abuse cases can be named as prominent Detective Inspector Kevan Verry.
Stuff revealed on Tuesday that police have re-opened more than 50 cases under the oversight of Verry after concerns were raised in May this year about his management of one historic case.
That initial case sparked a review which first identified 13 cases as requiring further investigation, followed by a wider review of almost 1,000 files. In total, 54 cases are being re-investigated.
Verry is now the subject of an employment investigation which remains ongoing. No findings have been made against him.
In a phone call, Verry told Stuff that the detail in terms of numbers was “news to me”.
He said he was aware of the initial case in May, “but that’s all I’ve been told”.
“At this stage, I’ve got no comment. As the police said, there’s an employment investigation underway and the facts you’ve given me are more than what I’m aware of.”
In response to questions in a follow-up email, Verry reiterated he “will not be making any comment about the matter at this stage”.
Detective inspector Verry is currently field crime manager at the National Gang Unit based at Police National Headquarters in Wellington.
His previous roles have included adult sexual assault and child protection coordinator for the Northland police district.
Stuff understands most of the almost 1,000 files reviewed by police relate to Northland, with files from other districts where he has worked also reviewed, leading to 54 cases being identified for re-investigation.
Assistant Commissioner Tusha Penny said the files spanned a three-year period from May 2023.
She said police had engaged external support agencies to offer support to the complainants in cases being re-investigated.
Police have self-referred the matter to the IPCA and are also working with Oranga Tamariki and other agencies “as we progress this matter”.
Penny said while the issue was “extremely concerning” for police, she said it did not reflect the dedication and work of officers across the country.
Chief victims advisor Ruth Money, who has been briefed by police, described it as “a horrific situation”.
“I suspect ultimately it means that victim-survivors haven’t had a voice, haven’t been seen, and haven’t got justice that I believe they were entitled to.”
Asked whether that meant there were potentially cases where alleged perpetrators had not been charged, Money said: “That’s as I understand it.”
Executive director of HELP Auckland, Kathryn McPhillips, said thousands of survivors across New Zealand would be wondering whether their own case was affected.
“Police have not identified which districts were involved,” she said. “Every day, sexual violence cases are closed without proceeding to court. That means there will be many survivors asking themselves: was this officer involved in my case? Was my investigation properly handled?”
She welcomed the fact that police had acted quickly but said serious questions remained about the number of cases identified for re-investigation.
“It is deeply concerning that police’s existing quality assurance processes … did not detect these issues sooner. We welcome the broader review of systems because survivors deserve confidence that robust safeguards are working.”
Over his three-decade career, Verry has led and fronted numerous high profile investigations, unrelated to the current review of cases.
He was the officer in charge of the investigation into the death of Baby Kween Thompson, who suffered a “non-accidental” injury in 2023.
He was involved in investigating historical sexual abuse complaints against former National MP Anthony “Aussie” Malcolm.
Verry also led the investigation into the death of 17-year-old Angel Riley following a police pursuit in 2023. An officer was ultimately charged with dangerous driving causing death, but during the investigation Riley’s family complained to the IPCA about Verry’s handling of the case.