HL Deb 27 February 1991 vol 526 c48WA
Lord Macaulay of Bragar

asked Her Majesty's Government:

(a) what is the annual expenditure in the United Kingdom on overtime payments to police officers; (b) what proportion of total annual expenditure on police pay is made up of overtime; (c) what proportion of expenditure on police overtime is attributable to attendance at courts as witnesses.

Lord Reay

The proportion of resources devoted to overtime is a matter for police authorities to decide. The information requested is not available centrally except for the Metropolitan Police. In the financial year 1989–90 expenditure on overtime in the Metropolitan Police was £62.116 million. This represents 12.78 per cent. of the force's total annual expenditure on police pay. In the same year overtime attributable to the attendance of police officers at court to act as witnesses accounted for £476,455 or 0.76 per cent. of the total overtime bill.