The federal police union has warned officers in the ACT have been stretched as job losses and ongoing spending cuts begin to take a toll on front-line employees.
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It prompted warnings from the ACT Opposition that police were being "spread too thin" as the force ramped up its response to crimes such as family violence without any boost in funds.
The Australian Federal Police Association warned more than 40 positions could be lost after ACT Policing was ordered to glean more than $15 million savings from its budget over four years from 2013.
Chief Police Officer Rudi Lammers said this year the agency would try to focus savings on supplier expenses, rather than the employee budget, but conceded some support positions may be "closely examined".
Police Minister Joy Burch gave assurances the general savings measures would not affect front-line policing.
But AFPA chief executive Dennis Gellatly said the union had warned that the compounding effect of the savings measures would "really start to bite" in the third or fourth year and the cuts were now "most definitely impacting the front line".
He understood 10-15 front-line policing jobs would be lost this year – a figure that has been disputed by ACT Policing.
Mr Gellatly said those job losses, and the fact ACT Policing had been forced to tackle emerging crime trends and problems such as domestic violence out of its existing resource base, meant staff were stretched.
"Because of the savings measures and no noticeable increase in funding from the ACT government, there's only so many ways you can slice the cake," he said.
"The pressures of meeting the response times and the demands of the community are impacting on their ability to keep up with their administrative duties like writing up briefs of evidence, following up victims and even attending court."
"The demands are coming in so thick and fast it's job to job to job without a chance to catch up, and they're just having to do the work in their own time."
An ACT Policing spokeswoman said there had been no loss of front-line policing jobs and the force's savings focus continued to be on areas that supported front-line policing.
Opposition leader Jeremy Hanson said the savings measures had clearly started to negatively affect front-line policing, and he renewed calls for the government to reinstate the funding.
"We are aware that over a dozen staff have been cut and there are more planned for next year," he said.
"The reality is that if you cut staff in back of office then those staff have to be filled by front-line staff."
Mr Hanson believed ACT Policing had been forced to "rob Peter to pay Paul" by diverting resources from existing crime teams to the dedicated anti-domestic violence team amid rising levels of property offences in the capital.
"Police are in a position where they're dealing with emerging pressures with ice, with domestic violence and they're being spread too thin."
Assistant Commissioner Lammers previously said staff who made up the new family violence team had been drawn from other areas of ACT Policing and the reshuffle would not mean a reduction in front-line police officers.
Mr Gellatly said the union would seek a commitment from both sides of politics to reinstate the 40 to 50 positions that had been lost and to remove the savings measures before the next election.
The government and then police minister Simon Corbell were criticised for failing to properly consult on the decision to enforce the savings measures in 2013.
There were also claims the cuts had been hidden from the public as they sold that year's budget as providing a "safe and secure Canberra".
