Police have tightened procedures at their training college bar after one of its instructors was arrested for drink-driving.
Detective Sergeant John Gualter, a CIB trainer at the college in Porirua, has pleaded guilty to the charge and will be sentenced later this week. He remains working at the college on restricted duties.
Before Mr Gualter was arrested, he was drinking at the college's bar.
Unlike most bars in police stations, the college bar must have a liquor license and comply with liquor laws.
Police general manager of human resources Wayne Annan says some processes at the bar have been tightened following a review, and new procedures put in place. He says no prosecution resulted from that inquiry.
Mr Annan denies a widespread drinking problem exists at the police college, nor within the police service as a whole.
He told Nine to Noon that since 2005 eight police officers have been convicted of drink-driving and have lost their job as a consequence.
"Every time it happens we are very disappointed and we view it as a tragedy," he says.
The Law Commission is proposing in its review of liquor laws that no bar should be exempt from liquor licensing controls.
Once the court case is finished, police will carry out an employment investigation. Mr Gualter has declined to comment to Radio New Zealand.
The Police Association website says Detective Sergeant Gualter is an award-winning officer.
In 2002, he was recognised for his work in stopping a group of Korean nationals from defrauding credit card companies of millions of dollars, receiving an award from the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators.
Roger Brooking, clinical manager of the drug and alcohol counselling service ADAC, says there appears to be a culture that encourages heavy drinking in police bars.
