The Police Association is calling for better pay to attract more police officers — with some reports of officers currently turning to food banks to make ends meet.
The coalition agreement between National and New Zealand First includes a commitment to "training no fewer than 500 new frontline police within the first two years".
"It's great that we're getting that extra 500," he said. "The reality is, we're struggling to recruit and the key reason for that is we can't compete with Australia and we can't compete with other professions at the moment."
He said police recruits were "not joining for the money". However, he'd spoken to many recruits who had taken a pay cut in order to join and this was hurting them, financially.
"I literally got reports yesterday of police officers using food banks. Now, no one joined the police to be rich but — doing one of the most stressful jobs in the country — I don't think they should be stressing about their finances as well," he said.
Cahill emphasised the level of violence police officers were facing was "unprecedented" and that not receiving the pay deal has left staff feeling "incredibly undervalued".
"We're not asking for a lot; we're asking for the same deal that teachers and nurses have received over the last three years. It's not like we're asking for exuberant amounts of money. We're just asking to be treated equally with those other professions," he said.
Cahill emphasised that pay was a big part of why officers are being lured to Australia with more "significant" increases and competitive pay rates for overtime.
"You're talking an immediate 30% pay rise. You're talking paid overtime that could add another 30%," he said.
Cahill said Police Minister Mark Mitchell "understands policing" and that the Govt's focus on frontline visibility and gang crime was going down "really well with the troops".
"They want to know that they'll be supported by being able to actually put food on the table and pay their mortgage as well."
He said he wanted the pay deal "over the line" to allow police officers to focus on their stressful, busy jobs on the frontline.
"It's not greedy, it's the same as the nurses and teachers, let's settle that deal ASAP, we've been waiting since April last year. You'll get the results if you put the effort into sorting that pay deal."
'We've got challenges'
National minister Chris Bishop and Labour MP Ginny Andersen also joined Breakfast to discuss the issue.
"We've got recruitment challenges, we've got training challenges, Australia are looking to take our great frontline police officers," Bishop said.
"But it's in the coalition commitment, we're gonna put the money in, we're gonna train those police officers because New Zealand needs them."
Pressed on whether the 500 "new" police officers promised by the Government were on top of the hundreds already being trained each year or whether those new officers count towards the goal, Bishop said: "You'll have to follow that up with Mark Mitchell, the Police Minister, I can't speak to that, he's got the specifics."
Andersen, a former police minister, said it was a "real worry" that Bishop couldn't answer.
"We are losing police every year," she said. "We need to be really clear. As well as, is it extra, does that include attrition? Those that are leaving? That's still not been made clear by the Government.
"It's been a really embarassing week for the Government in this space.
"I feel a bit sorry for Mark Mitchell, to be honest, either he just wasn't across his brief or he's just being honest that this Government is really going to struggle to deliver some of the promises that they've made under law and order."
In response to Cahill's food banks comment, Andersen said she thought the previous government's pay offer was "pretty good".
"I personally think that cops should be paid more, they put their lives on the line every single day for our communities."
Bishop said he "totally" agreed investment was needed.
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