Wellington, Feb 22 NZPA - Government officials will use a report from police about increases in acts of violence against its staff to investigate ways to try and curb the problem.

The report, due to be received by Police Minister Judith Collins at the end of the week, was called for after Senior Constable Jeremy Snow was shot and seriously injured when checking on a suspicious vehicle in south Auckland in December.

Urgency was added to the matter after three police officers were attacked in separate incidents at the weekend, including one on off-duty officer John Connolly, who was left seriously injured with broken bones after trying to break up a fight south of Auckland and getting turned on by bystanders.

In another incident near Whangarei another police officer had part of his lip bitten off when he tried to breath test a suspected drink-driver.

Prime Minister John Key this afternoon condemned the attacks and said the entire country would have been appalled at the lack of respect for those who provide the last line of defence for New Zealanders in dangerous situations.

"When we see the sort of acts we saw on the weekend I think most New Zealanders were offended. They were barbaric acts and quite frankly they were disgusting, and if anyone thinks the Government is going to sit back while police officers' lips are being bitten off and do nothing about it then they need to think again," Mr Key said.

He said penalties against those who assaulted police would be reassessed, and that included looking at whether it should be mandatory that such attacks be an aggravating factor in sentencing. The current law gives judges discretion on whether that should be the case.

Investigating new penalty options would be done in a "considered way" involving the justice and police ministers and other officials.

Mr Key said statistics showed there were 216 assaults on police recorded in 1999/2000, compared to 412 in the 2008/2009 year.

Firearms offences against police had grown from 19 to 41 in that period, and of New Zealand's 8400 uniformed staff, about a quarter could expect to be assaulted at some stage this year.

His own thoughts on the increase in violence on police was that it reflected increased drug and alcohol abuse.

Police Commissioner Howard Broad said alcohol and drugs were a big contributing factor in violent offending because of the effect they had on people's ability to be rational, and that the report going to Ms Collins would include suggestions on categorising crimes against police and toughening sentences.

Mr Broad told Radio New Zealand police were also considering a push by the Police Association to make it easier for frontline police to access firearms, but he was not keen on general arming of the force.

He said he would like to see assaults on police come under the new three strikes legislation in certain situations.

Mr Key said he hoped the embedding of tasers in the force would help in the battle to fight violent crime, and that police would choose to use them over guns.

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