Updated
Updated · RNZ · Jun 10
New Zealand Police Put 1 Officer Through Employment Process Over 2026 In-Motion Breath Tests
Updated
Updated · RNZ · Jun 10

New Zealand Police Put 1 Officer Through Employment Process Over 2026 In-Motion Breath Tests

2 articles · Updated · RNZ · Jun 10

Summary

  • One officer underwent an employment process after police detected a new sequence of abnormal in-motion breath tests carried out in January 2026.
  • An algorithm applied to all new breath-test data since October 2025 flagged the sequence, which police said was the only new in-motion case found this year.
  • Police told Minister Mark Mitchell in a February update they were confident testing while vehicles were moving was no longer occurring and that most remedial and employment actions were largely complete.
  • The case follows RNZ's earlier reporting that about 30,000 tests were falsely or erroneously recorded; an independent NZTA-backed review later estimated more than 42,000 irregular tests.
  • NZTA had frozen $12 million in funding after the scandal but has since authorized $18 million, saying police still met targets while both agencies work to restore confidence in road-policing data.

Insights

Beyond 42,000 fake breath tests, is a deeper integrity crisis quietly eroding the entire NZ Police force?
Have thousands of falsified police breath tests led to wrongful convictions or let dangerous drivers walk free?