Police force paying more overtime than planned
DYFEDPOWYS Police are paying more overtime to staff than planned due to operational pressures.
The force paid £1.48 million in overtime in 2018-19, although this did not include overtime for officers involved in joint working with other forces, or for officers on secondment.
Finance chiefs had planned for a £1.13 million overtime sum – £350,000 less than what was achieved – but it was not a set target. One force employee received £15,233 in overtime during the financial year, another received £13,890, while a third got £12,987.
The figures were released following a Freedom of Information request.
A Dyfed-Powys Police spokeswoman said steps were taken to minimise overtime, without compromising the service to the public.
She added: “The force monitors overtime daily with the aim of managing cost as well as to ensure the wellbeing of officers and staff.
“Additionally, a monthly overtime monitoring group meets to consider overtime data, trends, where and how it was incurred and the impact of any specific operational crime prevention or detection activity.”
She said the £1.48 million overtime bill for 201819 was “due to operational demand”.
The figure is, however, slightly lower than the previous two financial years when overtime costs were £1.5 million and £1.58 million.
The precept rose by nearly 11% on April 1 this year, increasing the average band D property precept by £24 to £248.56.
Dyfed-Powys Police comes fourth out of all of Wales and England’s forces for public levels of satisfaction, with nearly three-quarters of people saying that it did a good or excellent job.