Police recruit suspended after alleged comment about snorting cocaine

A police recruit has been stood down and is under investigation after allegedly being overheard talking about using cocaine. Photo / NZME

A police recruit was suspended the night before his graduation after he allegedly made comments about snorting cocaine with a fellow trainee.

The alleged comments about wanting to consume the Class-A drug were made in front of members of their training wing, who reported him to their supervisors at the Police College in Porirua, the Herald understands.

Police officers searched the rooms of the recruit, as well as the wingmate he name-dropped in the alleged drug talk, although no cocaine was found.

Despite the lack of evidence, police bosses made the decision to investigate further and stopped the recruit who made the alleged drug remarks from graduating with the rest of his wing the next day.

A spokeswoman for Police National Headquarters did not address specific questions but last night confirmed the recruit had been stood down.

"An internal employment investigation is underway into comments made by a recruit at the Royal New Zealand Police College.

"New Zealand Police has the same privacy obligations as any other employer and as such is not in a position to provide any further detail at this time."

The Herald has previously revealed police recruits have been stood down because of alleged links to organised crime, but this investigation comes shortly after the culture and training at Police College was put through an independent review commissioned by Deputy Commissioner Tania Kura.

The report is not publicly available but Kura recently told Stuff the review found areas to improve including the academic framework, the type of staff employed as trainers, and its connection to "real world" policing.

A new director of training at Police College was appointed in February, the highly rated Superintendent Warwick Morehu, and a second review into the entire training process is now underway.