Not necessarily. Applicants with serious proven charges relating to specific drugs, dishonesty, violence, and sexual crimes, or recent, or multiple drink driving convictions are not eligible to join NZ Police. Applicants with less serious or one-off historic, convictions are considered on a case-by-case basis. As part of the selection process thorough background checks are conducted.

Every applicant is assessed according to his or her own merit.

Because of NZ Police's commitment to reducing trauma on our roads, we need to set an example and will not recruit people for police officer positions if they have recent or multiple drink driving convictions.