KEY POINTS:
New Zealand Police could improve their recruitment standards but they were not doing badly.
That's the conclusion of an independent study into police recruiting practices.
The report was ordered by Police Minister Annette King after two conflicting reports into police recruit standards - one showing declining standards and the other showing high standards.
Ms King released the independent report, by Dr Dave George, this afternoon.
This report identified some weaknesses in the recruiting processes and said four of 14 assessment methods "do not appear to meet baseline standards".
This could see resources devoted to people who would ultimately fail, extra resources devoted to people who took longer to train than usual, and also the possibility of missing out on potentially suitable police recruits.
But it found the checks and balances used to permanently appoint constables were robust.
"Selecting staff is not an exact science. Police can improve but they are not doing badly," the report said.
- NZPA
