The number of New Zealanders applying to become police officers has plummeted by almost 50 percent in the past four years.
It comes as the police union fears the increased "risks" facing frontline officers are not helping in the recruitment process.
Exclusive data obtained by AM under the Official Information Act show in the space of four years there was a 48.5 percent drop in new applications, from 7973 in 2019 to 4108 in 2022.
But a police spokesperson said while on paper the drop in applications looks bad, it's actually a reflection of the intensive advertising and recruitment drive itundertook in 2018/2019.
That followed the Government setting a target to recruit 1800 new officers by 2023.
"In the peak, we had wings of 120 new recruits coming into the police college, it's now half that because our rate of hiring has slowed as that target has been reached," the spokesperson said.
Fewer people were able to apply to become officers during COVID-19 too because the police college closed its intake for several months.
Former police officer Chris Chandler-Yates, who now works with new recruits on wellbeing and fitness, said he's noticed fewer people wanting to join the force but the reasons vary.
"It's low pay, it's lack of support, it's the rise in crime. It's the perfect storm."
Chandler-Yates said there is also an "anti-police sentiment that perhaps stems from cases in America like George Floyd's murder" at the hands of an officer.
New Zealand Police Association president Chris Cahill told AM on Thursday the data doesn't surprise him as it's a trend happening all around the globe.
"I think New Zealand's done really well in the last five or six years, but the international trend is now catching up with us," he said. "I mean, all around the world they just cannot recruit to the police. That's why Australia is coming here but it's the same in Great Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia.
He said the bigger issue needed to be looked at: "Why are young people not seeing policing as a career?"
Cahill told AM co-host Laura Tupou one area affecting recruiting is the perceived increased "risks" facing frontline officers.
"We know one of the biggest recruiting paths is people that are in the job getting their friends, family and other young people to join and they're now saying no," he said.
"A lot of that is around the expectation that it's not safe to be in the police any longer, the dangers and the risks. So that's one of the things but it's much bigger than that and we need to understand that from an international perspective."
OIA data released to AM also shows 173 frontline constabulary employees resigned between January and the end of August this year, which is made up of 147 constables, 22 sergeants and four senior sergeants.
But those figures are tracking down on previous years. In 2022, 322 frontline staff quit, 190 in 2019 and 221 in 2018.
Police poured cold water on the resignations, saying the workforce is now the largest it has ever been, "in both an absolute and per-population basis".
The data comes hot on the heels of news almost 100 experienced New Zealand officers have applied to work with Northern Territory and Queensland police forces.
As well as better wages, a move to the Northern Territory would also see officers receive free rent or an AU$30,000 annual mortgage allowance.
Cahill told AM the Police Association will meet with its Australasian counterparts next month on what is a "global recruitment issue".
He said one reason why recruitment has previously been strong is down to police targeting different demographics and getting diversity.
"You've got to look at what are the blockages and say, can you remove those? Because in the end we want really good people that we can train and turn into outstanding officers and there shouldn't be blockages to join but that doesn't mean you lower standards to join."
An AM viewer said in an email his stepdaughter has been accepted into the police but is waiting for a slot in Wellington as there aren't any available currently.
Cahill said there isn't a shortage of officers in the big cities but urged people wanting to be in the force to look at rural areas.
"We would encourage people to say, 'Look, I might live in Auckland or I might live in Wellington, but actually why don't I give Gisborne a go for a few years?' Places like that which are struggling to recruit.
"You don't know till you try it. I grew up and started my police career in Invercargill. I ended up in a small place called Te Kūiti and loved it.
"So I encourage those people who want to join the police to actually say, 'If there's no vacancies in Wellington at the moment, is there somewhere else I can go to?'
The police spokesperson said: "We are always looking to recruit people who care about their community, from all backgrounds and cultures, from across Aotearoa to join police."
Watch the full video for more.
