However, Police Association president Chris Cahill believes assaults happen more often than data showed.
Figures were influenced by whether officers completed internal health and safety reports; and the courtroom complexities around justice codes.
Cahill was concerned about the increased use of firearms and other weapons during assaults on police nationwide, in which Covid has played a significant role.
"A lot of people's patience levels weren't there. Stress levels were very high. Then you had a change in the nature of assaults with a big spike in spitting for instance."
Spitting became a lot more serious due to the risk of Covid, Cahill said. Northland police had also been bitten while trying to arrest some offenders.
New Zealand Police Association president Chris Cahill. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Cahill highlighted how the pandemic response had seen police "dragged away" from the frontline, leaving the same officers to deal with more people and a greater risk of assault.
He said international research, applicable to New Zealand, had pointed to single crewed police - rural officers or road police - when it came to officers most likely to be assaulted.
"The vast majority of assaults come from relatively minor events - standard interactions."
Cahill said it wasn't uncommon for an offender, facing serious consequences, to use violence as a way to try and escape police.
"It's disappointing that they escalate to where they do and it's normally due to alcohol. It's still the number one cause."
Drugs - namely methamphetamine - also fuelled assaults on police, he said.
"The statistics don't tell the true picture and what they don't tell is the effect it has on the individual and their whānau."
Violence on the job was becoming commonplace enough that police almost expected to be attacked.
"Which is wrong," Cahill said. "It should never be the situation."
The hidden cost of assaults on police was the effect it had on their families when they returned home at the end of the day "sporting a black eye or other injuries", Cahill said.
"When they head off to work at least they know what they're dealing with. Whereas their partners, parents, and children are left at home wondering if their loved one is safe."
For the officers themselves, Cahill said, repeated assaults put their mental health further at risk.
This was worrying given an academic survey of nearly 5000 Police Association members nationwide in 2020 indicated the country's police force suffers staggeringly high rates of post-traumatic stress.
Cahill said the association was continuing to work with police headquarters to investigate the possibility of double crewing wherever possible.
However, some districts had already adopted the policy, such as Waikato which requires officers to be double crewed after 9pm.
Northland District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill said the policing environment was changing.
"...we are seeing more people, including younger people, willing to use force towards police.
"As an organisation we have been working extremely hard to ensure that our staff, who put themselves in harm's way to protect the public, have everything they need to match the changes we are seeing in the police environment," Hill said.
Northland District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill says the policing environment was changing. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Police already use a threat assessment method during potentially risky situations to ensure their response is "considered, timely, proportionate, and appropriate".
But additionally, Northland is one of two police districts to test a Tactical Response Model launched late last year to improve frontline safety and capability.
"This means we are trialling all components including training, access to specialist capability for dog handlers and Tactical Prevention Teams, and risk-based deployment and technology," Hill said.
Tactical Prevention Teams are part of investigative units tasked with planned operations to apprehend high-risk offenders and combat organised crime.
Hill said staff feedback about deployments, training and support as part of the model had overall been "very positive".
The Frontline Safety Improvement Programme also kick-started the development of a Frontline Skills Enhancement Course.
"It covers operational decision-making and communications under pressure and involves advanced tactical scenarios - all with a view to enhancing staff safety in high-risk situations," Hill said.
And of great importance was the health and wellness of officers. Hence why Well Advisors and access to clinical psychologists were available to Northland police experiencing work-related trauma and stress.
"Our people are our greatest asset," Hill said.
• Tomorrow - Assaults on the frontline: Northland firefighters and paramedics say violence is worsening
