Bay of Plenty District Commander Superintendent Andy McGregor. Photo / Ben Fraser
He said police had been struck with baseball bats and axes while others had people drive toward them at pace.
"What we are seeing is a propensity of offenders to increasingly use violence toward police officers," he said.
"Some are very lucky to be alive.
"You've always got that element out there that [some people] actually want to do those kinds of things and they have no fear of consequences in terms of their actions."
McGregor said one officer was struck by a vehicle a few months ago but they would be lucky to have them back before Christmas. He recalled another event where the officer resigned after spending time in intensive care after being hit by a vehicle while putting out road spikes near Whakatāne.
Self_reported_assaults_BOP_OLO
McGregor said assaults were taking place 42 years ago when he joined the force but he thought people respected police more back then.
Alcohol and drugs - especially methamphetamine - were aggravating factors, as well as officers attending family harm events or dealing with people mentally unwell.
Rotorua had the most assaults in the region. Photo / NZME
McGregor said health and safety were front of mind for police with plenty of training to help with risk assessments and knowing what kind of tools they can use to resolve a situation.
In November, Police Commissioner Andrew Coster announced police would double its annual tactical training days for frontline staff and would also increase the number of Armed Offender Squad qualified staff.
The Bay of Plenty Police district covers from Katikati in the north, east to the tip of East Cape and south past Tūrangi.
The data, sourced from an Official Information Act request, showed the total number of assaults by members of the public between 2017 and 2021.
It showed police in Bay of Plenty were spat at 124 times over the time period, second only to Counties Manukau with 127. The district was the fifth-highest for hit or bitten assaults in the country with 153.
Rotorua was the source of most assaults in the district with 86, followed by Tauranga (80), Whakatāne (23), Mount Maunganui (17), and Tokoroa (10).
The data is from between 2017 and 2021. Photo / NZME
Tauranga City Council commission chairwoman Anne Tolley said police played a "vital role" in keeping communities safe and people should respect and support the work.
"Law enforcement inevitably places police in difficult and confrontational situations, but violence is never an acceptable response to police intervention."
Tauranga City Council commission chairwoman Anne Tolley. Photo / NZME
Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller thought the 277 assaults wouldn't tell the full story given the number of incidents not reported by police.
"These figures are terrifying for police and for our community," he said.
"Every day Bay of Plenty police have to see and deal with confronting, high-risk situations – they shouldn't have to live with the added fear that they could be spat at, hit, or bitten while working to keep people safe.
Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller. Photo / NZME
"Ultimately crime is getting worse because of this soft-on-crime Labour Government which continues to send the message to offenders they can do anything they want and get away with it."
Police Minister Poto Williams said the Government had listened to public concerns about the "need to feel safe" which is why they have resourced police by an extra $562m.
"That funding means the New Zealand Police service is the largest ever," she said.
"This record investment means the Tactical Response Model, which focuses on keeping frontline officers safe, will be rolled out nationwide.
"It has also meant police now have more investigators and specialists focusing on serious and organised crime, at national and district level."
