PSNI defend ‘dissident’ overtime spend
The PSNI has told the Policing Board that the amount it spends on overtime for officers is dictated by the current security situation.
Questions were put to PSNI Finance Director David Best during a recent meeting of the body.
The police say £50.3m was made available by the Treasury for “additional security” this year.
To date, £12.5m has been spent on overtime for “additional security”, but the projected total expenditure for 2010 is £17.5m, up from £14.9m last year.
Policing Board chairman Dominic Bradley MLA said he is concerned that the costs of overtime policing have risen dramatically in recent years.
“Although it has been reduced significantly over the last number of years,” the SDLP representative said, “there was a concern, particularly in light of recent media comments, that costs have escalated.”
Defending the costs, the PSNI told Mr Bradley the “current security situation” has increased the need for police officers to work additional hours, especially in tackling the dissident threat.
They say at least a third of the expenditure is on security-related activities, with additional funding taken from the main police budget for this purpose.
The Policing Board has now requested a detailed breakdown of the budget allocation for PSNI overtime spending, which is to be discussed during the next meeting.
