An audit of the state Municipal Police Training Committee has found that the agency failed to ensure all training academies delivered a standardized curriculum, meaning it’s not guaranteed officers understand effective policing.

The State Auditor’s Office audited the MPTC from 2021 through 2022, discovering the agency responsible for setting police training standards in Massachusetts fell short of ensuring recruits received proper instruction.

All newly hired full-time police officers in Massachusetts must complete an 800-hour entry-level curriculum of classroom instruction and skill development training.

According to a report released Thursday by State Auditor Diana DiZoglio, 46 recruitment officer curriculum training academies commenced during the two-year audit period and were delivered to 1,618 student officers.

The curriculum, which takes 20 hours to complete, is said to cover the “best” policing strategies in the 21st century with specific emphasis on “problem-solving,” “ethical decision making” and other core principles.

Of the 46 recruitment training academies examined, 11 reportedly had “variations in the required number of classroom hours from 1 to 26 hours and/or skill development hours from 1 to 18 hours.”

Six did not deliver all required lessons including topics ranging from crime prevention to sexual assault investigations. Two did submit recruit curriculum training reports, one submitted an incomplete report and 13 did not certify their reports submitted to MPTC.

“By not delivering a standardized training curriculum,” the auditor’s report states, “MPTC provides inadequate assurance that all police officers in the Commonwealth have been exposed to the concepts, skills, and tactics that have been determined to be critical for effective policing by the law and MPTC.”

“This may lead to inconsistent law enforcement practices,” the report adds, “which may jeopardize the safety of the public and police officers because law enforcement officers may not be properly equipped to perform their jobs safely and effectively. This also creates financial risk for municipalities that employ officers who are insufficiently trained.”

A reason for the issue, the state auditor found, is that MPTC lacked “sufficient policies and procedures, including a monitoring component, to ensure that all training academies delivered a standardized curriculum.”

In response, the MPTC, an agency within the state Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, said it has made “significant strides in establishing standard operating procedures,” including the creation of a new documentation system.

The audit also found that not all recruit officer courses were taught by certified instructors.

Massachusetts police training academies emerged into the headlines this year when recruit Enrique Delgado-Garcia, 25, died in September, a day after becoming unresponsive during a defensive tactics exercise in a boxing ring and suffering a “medical crisis” at the Massachusetts State Police Academy in New Braintree.

The state attorney general has since named an attorney to lead an outside investigation into Delgado-Garcia’s death, while his family continues to fight for answers and justice.

MPTC does not oversee operations, applications, or tuition fees at the State Police Academy.