The association supported measures to increase police safety, but feared an emphasis on centralisation and resourcing pressure on smaller stations might lead to some closing permanently, association chairman Greg O’Connor said.
The measures also affected sole-charge stations which "for all intents and purposes are closed, anyway".
Arrowtown station has been closed to the public since a change in police policy meant volunteers could not open stations without the presence of constabulary.
Volunteer counter services had been mooted for several other stations in Otago, including Port Chalmers and Mosgiel, but it is unclear what the changes mean for those areas.
Police Association Otago chairman Steve Watt said during the Otago branch general meeting recently he hoped the changes did not signal the permanent closure of Arrowtown station.
The safety of staff was of "paramount importance" and the Police Association had been working closely with those conducting the review to ensure staff were safe and felt safe.
"Although Arrowtown remains closed, the association is working with police as part of the review to ensure that it will be reopened as soon as measures are able to be put in place that will provide for the safety of those staff that volunteer their time to work at the station."
Mr O’Connor feared ongoing police strategy would result in some station closures.
Police executives were under pressure from the government to reduce their "bricks and mortar" footprint.
"It’s fairly obvious everything is an opportunity and, while no-one is saying it, the suspicion is that this will become a rationale to permanently close some stations," he said.
"We fear this will be used as an excuse instead of doing what should be done, which is those stations should be appropriately resourced to provide these services to the public."
The services offered by volunteers became a cost-cutting measure and was symptomatic of the resourcing pressure faced by police.
"Without volunteers, the officers there aren’t able to spend a great deal of time providing services to the public," he said.
A police spokesman said, in the review, 121 premises throughout New Zealand, including some operated by volunteers, had been identified as "in need of more immediate measures to ensure staff and public safety".
He would not disclose the location of any of those stations or how many were within the Southern district.
Some steps already taken had included restrictions on public access to times when police officers were available, to help ensure the safety of volunteers.
That was the case in Arrowtown, which had previously been operated by volunteers.
The spokesman said police, in July, began testing four options for stations to be trialled at 10 pilot sites.
He could not confirm a timeline for the roll-out of completion of the police health and safety work.
Mr O’Connor said he supported police taking officer and staff health and safety seriously, but not at the expense of public services.
"There’s been a concern for some time that even after what happened in Ashburton [Work and Income shootings] that police haven’t done much," he said.
There were several instances of officers and non-sworn staff being put in harm’s way, including an incident in Oamaru, at which a female non-sworn staff member was trapped in the counter area by a drunk and violent offender.
It was resolved without force, but the staff member was left shaken.
"New Zealanders are waking up to the safety issue. New Zealanders do suffer a disproportionate amount of workplace injuries and we just have to do something about it," Mr O’Connor said.
