More than 300 police officers were not assessed on their swimming abilities before graduating, a review has revealed.
The recent recruits will now have to do the assessments retrospectively.
It comes as Police Commissioner Richard Chambers has announced police will review the swimming training policy.
On Wednesday, police confirmed 76 constables who graduated from Wing 383 and 73 from Wing 381 were unable to complete the test while at the college.
Police told RNZ the constables from Wing 383 were unable to complete the test due to health and safety risks posed by the cryptosporidium outbreak across the Wellington region, while those in Wing 381 were unable to take part because the pool was unavailable.
On Saturday, Chambers announced police had reviewed completion rates for the swimming assessment that recruits were expected to undergo as part of their training at the Royal New Zealand Police College.
Since the start of the new 20-week curriculum in January 2024, a further three wings had missed the assessment.
There were now 349 constables who would take the swimming assessment retrospectively.
Chambers was “disappointed” the process in place to assess water skills had not been followed consistently.
“The swim assessment is designed to ensure recruits are aware of their abilities and limitations in water.
“This becomes important operationally to help them make good decisions if they need to respond to a critical water incident.”
While it was not currently a pass or fail requirement, Chambers said it was an “important component of preparing to be a police officer”.
“The current process will be reviewed to ensure that all recruits are assessed in water skills before they leave the college.
“This review will include looking into whether swimming competency should return to being a pass or fail requirement prior to graduation.”
The constables who had missed the assessment, would complete it in their home districts over the next four months.
“I am proud of the calibre of recruits that we have and am committed to ensuring that the high standards of entry and training for New Zealand police are maintained.
“In this way we will continue to turn out the exceptional police officers that New Zealand is well known for and expects.”
Police Minister Mark Mitchell said he welcomed the review of the 2017 swimming training policy change.
“When this policy was changed under the previous government in 2017, I questioned this decision at select committee as I felt it was wrong for a coastal nation like ours, where police officers are often the first to provide assistance to people in the water, to relax the swimming requirements.
“The Labour government at the time was adamant there would be no problem lowering the standard and that water competence would still be met.”
Mitchell claimed the previous government’s approach had “taken the focus off a swim standard”.
“It has become clear that the relaxation of the policy has had the effect of police graduating the College in some cases having not been tested.”
Mitchell said police had been working “extremely hard” to recruit against the target of 500 new police officers by November 27.
“As a government we feel strongly that a swimming standard is important for both police and public safety, and in coming into government we supported a return to a 20-week recruit training course, rather than the 16-week in place when we came into government.
“I am extremely proud of our police officers who do outstanding work and deserve to be supported through a comprehensive training programme that includes water safety.”
rnz.co.nz
