The devices could not distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate tests. Photo / Duncan Brown
By Sam Sherwood and Checkpoint of RNZ
Police are not ruling out criminal investigations in relation to more than 100 staff who were involved in falsifying alcohol breath tests across the country.
They have also confirmed that all of the staff who are under investigation are still working and have not been stood down.
It was earlier revealed about 120 staff were under investigation after 30,000 alcohol breath tests were “falsely or erroneously recorded”.
The falsified results were only discovered after police built a new algorithm to analyse the data, as the devices themselves could not distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate tests.
Regarding the falsified tests, Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Jill Rogers said: “What these staff have done is, either at the start of the shift or during the shift, at the end of the shift, they’ve clicked the device that they’re all issued with more times than have actually seen them interacting with a motorist.”
The tests were done while the officers were in moving cars, which allowed the algorithm to pick up the numbers “outside the normal parameters”.
“We’ve been able to single these ones out to say, this is irregular, and this is how we’ve identified that 120 staff,” Roger said.
Rogers said she did not know who the staff were working with, but said there were some work groups that had more than one staff member represented in the figures.
“A higher number of people have been identified who are in our dedicated road policing teams. And that’s the disappointing thing. You know, we’ve done 4.2 million legitimate tests. We had the lowest number of alcohol related deaths on our roads last year. So I’m baffled why they felt the need to clip the ticket.”
Asked what reason there would be for falsifying tests, other than meeting targets, Rogers said police were working to identify the rationale and said it may be that staff “exceeded the numbers that they’ve legitimately done for reasons of making it look like they’re doing work that they haven’t done”.
Rogers did not rule out a criminal investigation into the staff who had falsified a large number of tests.
“I can’t predict what’s going to come from those employment investigations … But if we were to identify criminal offending, then that’s what we would address.”
Rogers confirmed none of the staff had been stood down.
Asked how police could trust them, she said: “Yeah, that’s a question we have.”
“I want to allow processes to take their place, and I think that we’ve got robust frameworks in position to do that, and we’re focusing on those people that are working hard every day to keep the roads safe.”
On Monday, a police spokesperson confirmed to RNZ that the falsified tests occurred throughout the country.
Asked what explanation had been given for why staff falsified the tests, the spokesperson said police “far exceeded” the national target of 3.3 million tests included in the Road Policing Investment Programme (RPIP) by about 900,000.
A New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) spokesperson told RNZ on Monday the agency was informed of the issue regarding alcohol breath screening tests in September.
“Drink-driving enforcement is a key part of ensuring safety on New Zealand’s roads, and NZTA is very concerned that this has occurred.
“We are monitoring the issue closely and we have asked police to provide NZTA with further information as they manage the situation.”
Asked whether NZTA believed the targets should still be in place, the spokesperson said there was “clear evidence” that increased levels of enforcement lead to “better road safety outcomes”.
“Early indications are that the agreed activity and target levels set for police are working well.
“An independent evaluation of the Road Policing Investment Programme [RPIP] is underway, and any decisions on activity, targets and future programmes will be informed by such evaluations, international best practice and agreed with partner agencies.”
A Ministry of Transport spokesperson said the ministry had been briefed and was “concerned about what has been occurring”.
“We are working closely with NZTA and NZ Police to monitor the issue.”
Police Minister Mark Mitchell said on Monday the targets were “working well”.
“A review of the targets would be a decision for NZTA, [the Ministry of Transport] and police.”
Rogers earlier said police would not be reviewing the targets or how they were applied. She said police were planning its approach to the RPIP.
“Police will support the retention of this measure and how it is currently applied”.
Rogers said “global evidence” showed that high levels of breath testing saved lives.
“The most effective way to deter this behaviour is with high visibility of police on the roads and high levels of breath testing. In 2024, police recorded the lowest level of alcohol-related deaths in recent history.”
Rogers said the false data was not detected earlier because the required technology was not available.
In August 2025, Police ICT enabled the National Road Policing Centre (NRPC) to build the algorithm which enabled them to examine the data.
She said the breath testing devices were equipped with “state-of-the-art technology” including GPS, officer identity as well as evidential breath testing capability.
“However, as the devices cannot differentiate between legitimate and illegitimate tests, police carried out checks to ensure that our staff were acting with integrity to the system. As soon as we realised a small number of officers were not acting in line with our values, we have reported this to Waka Kotahi and begun an employment investigation.”
Rogers said police had taken the falsified data issue “extremely seriously” and commenced an employment investigation into the officers involved.
“Police will do everything it can to ensure that public trust and confidence in its alcohol testing regime is maintained.”
She said the behaviour was “isolated to a small number of staff” and did not reflect the majority of officers who “come to work every day to keep New Zealanders safe”.
As the employment process was underway, she was unable to comment on whether any staff had been stood down as a result.
- RNZ