Police are considering creating a full-time Armed Offenders Squad in Auckland because of the number of callouts there.
The city has 33 AOS members, 13 of whom belong to the separate Special Tactics Group.
They work part-time and only a small number may be available for a call-out because of their normal duties.
Police say there is an average of more than 200 Armed Offenders Squad callouts in Auckland each year.
Police Association president Greg O'Connor says the staffing levels needed for a full-time squad would not work. It would be like rearranging deckchairs, he says, so it's more logical to better arm all frontline personnel.
