Apart from the obvious joke about sharing a patrol car with a cop who is living on baked beans, the revelation of how tight things are financially for young police is a real wake-up call.

A letter has been published on the Police Association's Facebook page, it comes from a Sergeant in Auckland, who says starting out cops in the city are bringing in 89 cent tins of beans for their dinner because it's all they can afford.

The letter says senior colleagues are supplying food because police simply can't afford life in the city on their current wages.

The Sergeant who wrote it cooks a large meal to bring in for the team about once a week, to make sure they get something substantial into them.

It's not on, is it?

Now obviously, this comes at a time when the police are looking for more money, they have turned down a 2 percent annual offer for the next three years.

They want more, and they're also looking for paid overtime and recognition of shift work.

And it's not just an Auckland issue.

Police Association President Chris Cahill says Queenstown and Tauranga are also tough to afford and staff are at breaking point.

Attrition rates in Auckland especially, are a huge concern he says.

The Sergeant talks about young staff having to deal with high-risk incidents and the growing proportion of officers now who've got less than 12 months experience.

Shifts which are meant to last 10 hours frequently over-run to 12 and there's no paid overtime.

After that, because cops can't afford to live in the central areas, they've got a long commute to get home.

It's a recipe for disaster, the letter says.

The starting pay for a new constable is $56,106 and with various allowances, and most new sworn officers make about $62,000 in their first year out of police college.

If you were doing a 40-hour week and allowing for four weeks of holiday, it comes out to about $32 an hour.

For a job in which you risk being verbally or physically assaulted every day.

Dealing with people who quite don't want you there, dealing with fights, drugged-up madmen, knives, guns, you name it.

Two percent would put them on about $33 dollars an hour.

Need I say more? I don't think so.