Anecdotal reports suggest some new officers are reluctant to do cordon duty, attend a sudden death or even get out of their patrol car.

New police recruits are shying away from frontline work and are reluctant to stand on cordons, go to sudden deaths or get out of their patrol cars because it's too dangerous, senior cops say.

The concerns about millennial recruits lacking in emotional intelligence and social skills have been raised in the latest Police News, which cites anecdotal reports from senior police about new officers recoiling from the front line.

Commissioner Mike Bush said he was concerned about the comments, and the quality of training was regularly monitored.

SUPPLIED Former sergeant Brooke White, pictured at Auckland's TPPA protests in 2016, says many new police recruits have an entitled mentality, lacking discipline and respect.

However, recruits still had a lot to learn once they graduated from the Royal New Zealand Police College, and that it was up to senior staff to guide probationary constables.

READ MORE:

* Police College targets female recruits in first women-only recruitment day

* Swim school part of police college as 3000 new recruits needed

* Police minister has his work cut out with plan for 1800 extra cops by 2020

* Rainbow police car cost $10k, as cops look at third gender on police forms, databases

His comments followed reports in the Police Association magazine and on Stuff from veteran officers.

"If they don't get out the car, who will?" one sergeant said.

"They should have been prepared for what to expect at the college ... whether that's the result of training in an adult learning environment, with not enough marching, or just what we've come to expect from 'millennials', no-one is exactly sure."

Bush said he was "proud" and "constantly impressed" by new recruits, and told Kiws to "back your next generation of police officers, as I do".

ROSS GIBLIN/STUFF Police Minister Stuart Nash says the current crop of recruits is probably the best he has seen.

"I do not pretend we always get this right, which is why we continually look at the quality of our training and work to improve that. Our methods change all the time."

The magazine also spoke to a veteran Auckland officer worried about a lack of "emotional intelligence" and social skills among the new constables.

These stories have been backed by other ex-officers, including former Auckland sergeant Brooke White, who retired after a decade last year.

MONIQUE FORD/STUFF Recruits from the Royal New Zealand Police College in Porirua have come under fire from senior police for lacking emotional intelligence and social skills.

She called the new training regime "dangerous and embarrassing", and said the police college now resembled a "cushy baby college" where recruits addressed senior officers by name, and military-style discipline had been discarded in favour of a more pampered corporate HR or university-style model.

"They risk churning out a generation of sub-standard cops ... it's terrifying, I'd back myself before I called 111," White said.

Although the force was full of good officers, she said many new recruits had an entitled mentality, and were not prepared for the life-and-death situations of real district policing.

Teena Cooke, a former Counties-Manukau constable, agreed saying discipline, respect and the chain of command were crucial in highly volatile situations.

"The New Zealand Police is getting too PC and trying to pander to everybody's whims ... public safety is getting to be at risk and that's what you're there to protect," she said.

The criticisms come in the wake of the Government promising 1800 extra police officers over three years.

Police training general manager Superintendent Scott Fraser defended the quality of graduates and said police were actively recruiting to "reflect the diversity and demographics of our communities".

"New Zealand Police's selection criteria is robust, and the standards of recruits are the best they have ever been."

Police Minister Stuart Nash had no concerns, had seen no evidence of a drop in standards, and said the current crop of recruits was probably the best he'd seen.

"We're trying to build the sort of diversity that replicates our communities ... we're changing the culture of police ... we really do need men and women with a wide range of skills, backgrounds, ethnicities and different experiences."

Police Association president Chris Cahill said selection standards had not changed and warned against putting too much stock in anecdotal reports.

* Comments on this story are closed