Southern police are investigating centralising file management systems, but it is "too early" to say if jobs will be cut, Southern police district commander Superintendent Bob Burns says.
Sources told the Otago Daily Times up to a dozen back-office staff were facing redundancy following an emergency meeting called at the Invercargill Police Station on Friday.
However, Supt Burns said staff cuts "certainly have not been mooted".
"We've got some budgeting issues for next year, but we have not looked at staffing cuts for this year.
"There have been rumours going around all over the place," he said.
In March, The New Zealand Herald reported inflationary pressure and a desired 3% wage rise would leave the police service nationally needing to provide an extra $470 million over the next four years.
At the time, Police Commissioner Peter Marshall said no constabulary or civilian police staff would lose their jobs; rather police would continue to increase frontline resources.
However, he told the Herald those who left the force might not be replaced and closing some police stations was "a possibility".
Supt Burns said police had "a project on at the moment right throughout the country where they are centralising file management centres".
"Our district has been identified as needing to set up a centralised one."
Investigations were under way as to how such a centralisation, of file management centres in Invercargill, Central Otago and Dunedin, could be achieved and whether it made financial sense to centralise.
He was expecting an interim report in June with a consultation process to follow. Any changes would be "a long way down the track".
When asked if it could result in job losses, Supt Burns said: "It's too early to make that assumption".
"We are in the early stages.
"We are just following on from a national perspective and the stuff we are doing is just building on the projects that have already been trialled. We are just the next cab off the rank."
File management centres dealt with complaints lodged and the assignment of cases electronically.
Sources told the ODT, under a proposal, the Invercargill station's file centre would be moved to Dunedin, resulting in the loss of Invercargill-based data entry and telephonist jobs.
"Morale is not very good at all," a staff member said.
Police association region director Detective Sergeant Brett Roberts was not aware of the review.
