A man who threatened to kill a Tauranga police officer has been sentenced to three months in prison.

John Paul Te Huna was arrested and charged with threatening to kill a police officer after he got into an altercation with police earlier this year.

The charges relate to an incident where Te Huna was described as drunk and out of control, in which he struggled and swore at an officer before threatening to kill him.

Judge Christopher Harding sentenced Te Huna in the Tauranga District Court last week and ruled out home detention as he believed it would not work for him.

Te Huna was also sentenced to 14 days jail, to be served concurrently with the three months, for resisting police and assaulting police.