Labour is accusing the Government of not fighting hard enough for front line police officers and says the new pay deal is a pay cut.
But the Government says police are treated better than most public servants and the latest pay round deal is fair.
Police salaries will be frozen for the next year under the deal, with an increase of 1 percent in the proceeding two years.
Labour’s police spokesperson Kris Faafoi says the increase is less than inflation and officers will take a pay cut.
“There’s no doubt about this,” he says. “They have been asked to make savings with resources and they are stretched at the moment.”
Finance Minister Bill English says the issue is more complex than Labour is suggesting.
“Police have automatic increments that apply every year so the police will be getting a pay rise this year,” he says.
“The police are being very well looked after by comparison to other public servants.”
Police Association president Greg O’Connor, who was involved in negotiations, says the pay deal reflects a tough economic reality.
“This is a pragmatic pay round that our members have accepted… it’s pragmatic, it’s a pay settlement for our times.”
He says to pay police more is not realistic in the current climate.
Mr Faafoi says the Police Association were backed into the deal and many officers are unhappy.
“I think over the next few years, you’ll hear a bit of disquiet from police officers,” he says.
“It’s not fair for people we ask to put their lives on the line when they go to work every morning.”
Watch the video for Mr O’Connor’s cagey response to the deal
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