Every police officer is being required to undertake alcohol breath testing training amid revelations over 100 officers are being investigated for falsifying tests.
Last week RNZ reported about 120 officers were under investigation over the matter.
Today, relieving Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers today said police is aware the matter had impacted public trust and confidence in its breath testing regime.
“We are committed to putting this right.”
“As part of this commitment to both our community and our partners, the police executive has made the decision to require all constabulary staff to complete an online training module for alcohol breath testing.
Rogers said the training is mandatory and “we expect all staff to have completed this within the next four weeks”.
“This training will reinforce correct practices and expectations, and ensure every staff member understands their responsibilities as we head into the busy summer period.”
How police identified false tests
In the initial report from RNZ, police said it identified an anomaly in data related to breath testing activity in August this year.
An audit which covered 4.6 million tests between July 1 2024 and August 17 2025 suggested there were tests conducted without the involvement of a driver, according to initial analysis.
Acting Deputy Commissioner Michael Johnson told RNZ at the time a review of 5.3 million alcohol breath screening tests conducted by police between 1 July 2024 and 30 September 2025 showed 30,961 tests were “falsely or erroneously recorded”.
It indicated tests which hadn’t occurred had been recorded by some staff.
Johnson said existing and ongoing data analysis processes by police enabled it to identify and proactively manage the situation.
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