Rotorua police have suffered nearly 170 injuries in the last four years while defending the thin blue line.
The casualty list includes fractures, burns and dental injuries - some sustained during violent assaults.
But the number of workplace claims has been dropping consistently since the introduction of body armour and Taser gun access, police say.
Figures released to the Rotorua Daily Post under the Official Information Act reveal a total of 167 on-the-job injury claims have been lodged by the region's police staff since 2009, 33 for assaults.
But the number of injuries is dropping, with 19 claims in the last financial year, compared with 55 in 2009/10.
Rotorua police injury claims totalled $294,046 for the four years, with $55,726 for assaults injuries. The cost to the taxpayer has risen slightly over the same time period, from close to $54,700 in 2009/10 to $57,880 in 2012/13.
Rotorua police acting area commander Inspector Tim Anderson said they were committed to reducing the number of police injured at work.
"We take the safety of our staff seriously and we continue to work to reduce the risk they are exposed to," he said.
"Of course any results which show that the risk is being minimised is pleasing to see, however we do acknowledge that the role is one which at times can expose our members to dangerous and unpredictable human behaviour. We ensure our teams are well trained, equipped and supported to carry out their jobs." "
He said data collected within the area showed assaults on police were on the decline.
"While the reality of all policing situations is that they can escalate very quickly and unpredictably, such assaults are not acceptable.
"We review assault incidents to determine whether there are things we can learn to improve our response to similar future incidents and we are committed to continuing to reduce that number."
Soft-tissue injuries were the most common among police nationwide, peaking in 2010/11 at 1086 claims.
The number has dropped dramatically since then, with only 78 claims made in 2012/13.