Exclusive: We need more time to cut £9m overtime bill says police chief

The South Yorkshire Police overtime bill represents five per cent of the force's total spending on salaries, whereas police forces nationally average three per cent.

In March the South Yorkshire Police Authority announced a plan to reduce the bill by five per cent – but now senior officers are asking that 4m goes untouched. The controversial move comes after Home Secretary Theresa May criticised "institutionalised" police overtime and warned that police must accept restraint in the current economic climate.

The new proposal would mean the overtime budget would be cut by 267,000 a year rather than the 464,000 the earlier measures would have saved – a difference of 197,000.

Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes told the Yorkshire Post the overtime levels were among the highest in the country because the force had proportionately fewer officers for the size of the population.

But yesterday the Taxpayers Alliance criticised the "excessive overtime bill" and questioned whether the leadership was "up to the challenge".

Police overtime is needed to cope with the fluctuations in demand for officers when incidents or major operations crop up unexpectedly. It is also used to help cover gaps in service created by problems such as sickness – but can be an expensive way to buy officers' time.

If they are needed at very short notice, or the duties fall on Sundays, officers may also be entitled to double time.

In busy departments where overtime is frequently used, it can mean constables and sergeants earning more than supervisors in ranks which do not qualify for overtime. In South Yorkshire some constables have earned more than 50,000.

Police argue in a report to the authority that some elements of overtime are difficult to reduce without having an adverse impact on the service.

Overtime is divided into four categories and senior officers say it would be difficult to cut back on payments made for bank holidays, where officers can expect double time, because there are often high demands on officers because of issues such as town centre drinking.

Officers used for football duties often do so on overtime but this is to prevent staff being taken away from "neighbourhood policing" duties.

They say some police operations also get funding from grants outside the normal budget and if overtime was restricted, it would make it less attractive for the force to apply for that type of funding.

The report has been compiled by senior officers seeking "clarity" on the overtime reduction. They want the restrictions to be limited to areas such as time spent processing prisoners and providing extra patrols in response to specific problems.

In order to make sure their proposed savings are achieved, force managers are suggesting a new system of rewards, or sanctions, depending on how closely budgets were followed. There would also be procedures to identify those earning most from overtime.

Improved financial training for police inspectors, currently an optional development topic, could also be mandatory.

If accepted, it would mean areas where overtime would be expected to be cut would be duties such as firearms incidents, policing the "night-time economy" and processing prisoners.

Mr Hughes said: "While we have been saving hard to prepare for forthcoming budget cuts, we accept that there should be a reduction in the amount spent on police overtime.

"However, this cannot happen in one fell swoop."

The suggested action, which will be considered at a meeting of the police authority today would provide savings without having an adverse effect on performance, he said.

Matthew Sinclair, of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said:"Ordinary taxpayers are feeling the pressure and businesses have cut back with the recession. Police forces like the rest of the public sector are going to have to do the same."