🚨 Crisis of Confidence: 120 NZ Police Officers Investigated Over Falsified Breath Tests, Totaling 30,000 Anomalies
By The Lion’s Roar News International Desk
AUCKLAND— New Zealand Police are facing a significant crisis of public trust after internal investigations confirmed that up to 120 police staff across the country are under scrutiny for falsely or erroneously recording approximately 30,000 alcohol breath tests. The staggering figure, representing manipulated data points that suggest tests were conducted without the involvement of a driver, has sparked nationwide concern and triggered an employment disciplinary process.
The revelation casts a dark shadow over the integrity of the country’s road policing statistics, although Police leadership maintains that the overall road safety objectives have not been compromised.
🔍 The Discovery: An Algorithm Uncovers the Anomaly
The systemic falsification was not uncovered through standard operational checks but through the development of a new, sophisticated algorithm built by the National Road Policing Centre (NRPC) in August 2025. This technology was designed to analyse the massive dataset generated by breath testing devices, which, while equipped with GPS and officer identity tracking, are unable to differentiate between a legitimate test and a simulated or incorrectly recorded one.
An audit of over 5.3 million breath screening tests performed between July 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025, identified 30,961 tests that exhibited clear anomalies—indicating they were conducted without a driver present or were logged incorrectly.
Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Michael Johnson expressed profound disappointment, noting that the data “clearly shows either poor judgement or poor processes by a small number of staff.” The investigation has confirmed that this misconduct occurred throughout the country, affecting multiple police districts.
🎯 Pressure or Misconduct? The Targets Debate
The core of the issue quickly focused on whether police officers were under undue pressure to meet specific performance targets, potentially leading them to fabricate the results to boost reported numbers.
The incident occurs against the backdrop of the government’s $1.3 billion Road Policing Investment Programme (RPIP), announced in 2024. This programme included an annual national target of 3.3 million roadside alcohol breath tests.
However, Police leadership has been quick to downplay the role of targets. Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Jill Rogers stated emphatically that there was “no pressure” on staff to meet the national target, noting that Police legitimately exceeded it by approximately 900,000 tests last year, having achieved over 4.2 million in total.
“Individual officers do not have any specific targets to meet in relation to breath testing,” Rogers noted, stressing that the majority of officers act with integrity and the behaviour is “isolated to a small number of staff.”
Despite the public reassurance, Police Minister Mark Mitchell has been briefed, and while affirming the targets are “working well,” the sheer volume of falsified tests will undoubtedly lead to broader questions about the culture within some road policing units and the efficacy of the current performance metrics.
⚖️ Accountability and Oversight: Disciplinary Action Begins
The repercussions for the officers involved are already underway. The approximately 120 staff are now subject to a formal employment disciplinary process for serious misconduct. The Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) has been informed and will oversee the disciplinary framework developed by Police to ensure the process is fair and transparent.
Waka Kotahi (NZ Transport Agency) and the Ministry of Transport, key partners in the road policing programme, have also been briefed on the issue and have expressed their concern, monitoring the situation closely.
The incident is particularly damaging as it follows a broader internal police review of staff conduct, which was prompted by the resignation and subsequent charges laid against a former Deputy Police Commissioner for possessing objectionable material.
Ultimately, the Police are now tasked with the difficult job of restoring public confidence in their integrity and ensuring their data is trustworthy. They have committed to strengthening their data analysis protocols and providing clear, ethical guidance to all officers on breath testing procedures, affirming that this lapse in conduct does not reflect the values of the police force as a whole.
The Lion’s Roar News International Desk will continue to follow this developing story as the disciplinary proceedings unfold and the full extent of the misconduct is revealed.
