The Police Commissioner is reassuring staff there won't be a repeat of performance-based pay.

The reassurance comes after speculation performance-based pay would be introduced, at the expense of existing pay increases.

Pay negotiations are underway between police and the Police Association.

In a blog post on the police website, Police Commissioner Peter Marshall says he's told staff there won't be a return to the performance-based system that existed in the late 1990s.

"I still have nightmares about the diaries people needed to keep to prove their worth. Call me old-fashioned but most of us just wanted to get on with the job rather than haggle over the division of a few dollars," he said.

"Any new system must be far removed from that and have the buy-in of staff and their service organisations. Nothing will occur in the years that follow without that buy-in."

Mr Marshall said he's confident a fair deal will be struck in the negotiations.

"I'm not in the business of short-changing our staff."

Last week, Labour obtained an email from the Police Association which suggested a return to performance-based pay was on the cards.