The PSNI department that has claimed the most overtime can be reveald following a Freedom of Information request, which also shows that one officer on the force earned an additional £6,000.
In the 2023/24 financial year the PSNI spent £31.192million on overtime for its officers, the second lowest overtime spend since 2019/20 when the force spent £36.447million.
During the same period it spent £3.198million on non-officer staff overtime.
Read more: PSNI facing £37 million funding gap, chief constable warns
Read more: PSNI 'increasingly unable to keep people safe' due to staffing levels
The PSNI department with the highest overtime bill was the Crime Department at £6.398million, which is the largest department within the force and comprised of specialist officers and staff and led by Assistant Chief Constable Mark McEwan.
It has a number of specialist areas which include; Organised Crime Branch, Serious Crime Branch, Intelligence Branch, Specialist Operations Branch, Crime Support Branch and Public Protection Branch.
The department that claimed the second most in overtime was the Operational Support Department at £5.736m followed by the South Area department at £5.538milion.
One department, the PSNI Justice Department which covers the Legacy and Discolosure Branch, Criminal Justice Branch, Contact Management and Custody, has seen its overtime spend increase significantly in recent years with £1,146,000 being spent in 2023/24 compared to £87,000 in 2019/20.
| Department/district | Overtime spend 2023/24 (£) | Overtime spend 2022/23 (£) | Overtime spend 2021/22 (£) | Overtime spend 2020/21 (£) | Overtime spend 2019/20 (£) |
| Crime Department | 6,398,000 | 7,337,000 | 6,886,000 | 7,178,000 | 9,723,000 |
| Operational Support Department | 5,736,000 | 5,796,000 | 6,349,000 | 6,012,000 | 6,605,000 |
| Justice Department | 1,146,000 | 1,207,000 | 573,000 | 67,000 | 87,000 |
| Belfast Area | 4,928,000 | 4,436,000 | 5,717,000 | 5,699,000 | 6,186,00 |
| North Area | 4,579,000 | 4,128,000 | 4,982,000 | 5,066,000 | 5,721,000 |
| South Area | 5,538,000 | 5,289,000 | 5,744,000 | 5,866,000 | 6,508,000 |
| Derry City & Strabane Area | 2,029,000 | 1,688,000 | 1,929,000 | 2,079,000 | 0 |
| Local Policing Command | 42,000 | 35,000 | 1,646,000 | 1,414,000 | 1,482,000 |
| Other | 796,000 | 777,000 | 1,031,000 | 85,000 | 135,000 |
| Total | 31,192,000 | 30,693,000 | 34,859,000 | 33,465,000 | 36,447,000 |
The FOI request also revealed the 10 officers who received the highest overtime pay during the 2023/24, with these being nine male officers and one female.
The pay the officers revceived ranged from £6,068.01 to £5,092.59, with the average overtime cost per officer in 2023-24 being £4,782.
The top 10 officer overtime pay was;
| Overtime amount paid | |
| 1 | £6,068.01 |
| 2 | £5,927.68 |
| 3 | £5,531.75 |
| 4 | £5,524.48 |
| 5 | £5,304.92 |
| 6 | £5,241.54 |
| 7 | £5,151.16 |
| 8 | £5,141.01 |
| 9 | £5,093.54 |
| 10 | £5,092.59 |
Chief Operating Officer Pamela McCreedy said: “The Police Service of Northern Ireland is committed to making the best use of resources.
“It is well documented that our officer numbers are at their lowest ever. With increasing demand and complexity of calls for service, overtime is necessary to ensure resources are deployed to meet prevailing demand.
“As an organisation, we seek to manage this in a way that both meets this demand and prioritises the welfare of our people.”
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