A fair cop? One in five police officers has a SECOND job
‘There should be clear
rules on this’
THE number of police officers taking second jobs while still receiving their taxpayer-funded salary has risen more than 30 per cent in five years, despite a threatened crackdown on ‘moonlighting’.
Almost one in five officers now supplements their income with extra work – including one who has his own mobile spray-tanning company and others working as slimming consultants, children’s party planners, scuba-diving instructors and another who trades in hot tubs.
There are now 19,711 police officers in the UK with second jobs or business interests. The damning figures have emerged despite the policing watchdog warning that second jobs are a corruption risk. The data, which includes police officers and not civilian police staff, has raised concerns that officers are too busy to focus full energy on their main job.
David Burrowes MP, a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said: ‘Policing is a full-time job, with lots of pressures, challenges and strains. There should be clear rules to ensure that the public aren’t being short-changed.’
The overtime bill for officers and staff in England and Wales totalled £1billion over three years, a rise of £6 million in the financial year 2014/15. And last year, one in 20 took time off sick due to stress, depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Although the number of police officers in the UK has been slashed by more than 10 per cent since 2011, at least 19,711 have second jobs or outside interests, compared to 14,916 five years ago.
Business interest or jobs should not be authorised if they are deemed ‘incompatible’ with officers’ primary work – ruling out pub or private security work, or activities that could bring officers into contact with criminals.
However, The Mail on Sunday still found examples of officers training up bodyguards, undertaking bar work, and one who owned a licensed club. At least one constable works in internet safety training, with another training NHS staff in conflict resolution.
The Metropolitan Police disclosed that at least five of its officers work in security despite the regulations stipulating this is not permitted.
A 2015 report published by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary also warned that some forces still fail to log jobs officers had been refused permission to do – without checking to see if they had gone ahead and done it anyway.
The report, titled ‘Integrity Matters’, also warned: ‘Business interests and other employment can make officers and staff more vulnerable to misconduct and corruption.
‘There is a need not only to ensure all staff are aware of their responsibilities to report such interests and employment, but also to record and review all applications to ensure that the circumstances of approved applications have not changed and that refusals have been heeded.’
The Metropolitan Police has 4,441 officers with second jobs, the largest in the UK. The figure marks a 46 per cent rise from 2012. It includes 228 drivers, 63 electricians or plumbers, 41 gardeners, 20 massage therapists and nine working as models.
A chief inspector in Cambridge has written a travel book, and another constable in the same force is a dog photographer. An officer in Durham runs a poetry-writing service, while a chief superintendent also in Durham owns his own equestrian business.
Derbyshire Police has officers working as retained paramedics and fire officers, tree specialists, a lollipop lady and another who makes a second living selling jacket potatoes.
Several officers in the UK work as mobile DJs, photographers and musicians. A constable in Norfolk works as a hypnotherapist, and one sergeant even set up a gym fran- chise. Other second jobs include ghost hunting, semi-professional football and Methodist preaching.
Some registered interests may relate to family members of police officers, but these must still be logged. Others include officers working in unpaid voluntary roles.