Police are not commenting on reports up to 10 percent of its vehicle fleet may be taken off the road to save cash.
The New Zealand Herald today said the Police Commissioner's office had begun informing affected units of the cost-cutting measure.
It quoted a source as saying the directive had "come from the top" and was "non-negotiable".
Police have almost frontline 3400 vehicles and could lose more than 300 if the 10 percent figure proves accurate.
A spokesman at police headquarters today referred inquiries on the Herald report to Police Minister Judith Collins' office, but she was unavailable.
Last night she told the newspaper the any savings would not prevent police from doing their job.
"We are in the worst economic times in 70 years and the police have identified a place they could make some savings knowing that they were also getting significant extra resourcing.
"I've been assured that it will not impact greatly on their ability to do the job."
She said the May budget had given the police and extra $162.5 million for operational matters. "T
hey've made their own call on what they should be spending their resourcing on and I'm going to take their advice that that is the best use of the money."
In the budget that money was earmarked to cover the next four years of police recruitment, training, personnel costs and deployment.
Police Association president Greg O'Connor said a reduction in fleet would certainly mean a reduced service.
"And we have seen what happens before when people are not getting the service they need. Failures in the police very quickly get to the front page of the paper.
"...To turn up to a violent domestic incident or when you have a problem at three o'clock in the morning, or an aggravated robbery ... that's something you need a vehicle for."
