'Cheating' allegations stem from clash of generations and failure to change exam questions surprising, says Police Association.
The police were forced to change exams for trainee detectives after a group were discovered sharing "cheat sheets" of test questions and answers from previous years.
The exams were postponed across the three Auckland police districts this year after a whistleblower raised concerns about the study material circulating through the training school.
An internal investigation, Operation Dragnet, found 12 detective constables received emails with questions and answers from previous exams, often word for word, including multi-choice sections.
This material was referred to as "academic dishonesty" and "clearly cheat sheets" by senior trainers at Police College.