Hundreds of New Zealand's police - 6 percent of the organisation - are in self isolation. [Source: RNZ]

Hundreds of New Zealand’s police – 6 percent of the organisation – are in self isolation.

Approximately 740 sworn and non-sworn staff are off work, with about 400 of them frontline staff.

Police Association president Chris Cahill said they had managed to move a lot of staff around, so overall it had not affected services to the public.

He said many of those in isolation were due to complete it shortly, and with testing ramping up it was becoming much clearer who may or may not have been exposed to the Covid-19 coronavirus.

There are still only two known confirmed cases in the police force.

Cahill said the distancing regime and personal protection equipment (PPE) police had been supplied with was keeping them safe.