$23M police overtime

POLICE Commissioner Gary Griffith has ordered an audit after coming across discrepancies at Police Finance Branch with respect to overtime payments to 2nd Division officers. In some instances, Newsday was told, police officers racked up monthly overtime which surpassed the salary of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley.

In one case, a constable was paid close to $.5 million in overtime claims over an eight month period while another constable received $150,000 for a three-month period.

When Griffith assumed office, information on exorbitant overtime payments was made known to him and he ordered the audit. It is unclear whether it will be carried out by an independent firm or if police officers themselves will be assigned the task.

Sources at the Finance Branch revealed a scheme designed to fatten the wallets of both senior officers and their subordinates. Newsday understands the police service has been paying officers over $23 million a year in overtime.

Because senior officers are not allowed overtime, sources said, they align themselves with uniformed officers who can claim. The bobol is simple. When an inflated overtime claim form is sent, dishonest seniors sign off on it, no questions asked. Later on, they meet up with the officer who was paid the overtime and they split the money.

Commissioner Griffith told Newsday he is in the process of ensuring the audit takes place immediately.

“The issue of overtime payments is one that I am dealing with personally,” Griffith said.

It is obvious, he continued, that there would be need for overtime payments as many officers go beyond their 40-hour work week in the execution of their duties. For this he has no problem. When money is fleeced from the service, then Griffith said, he must act.

“There have been some very questionable claims made and I intend to put an end to this. Wherever I have seen approvals for officers to work 22 hours a day, six days a week and some are getting higher paid overtime such that it is more than the monthly salary of the prime minister; and this was approved by supervisors, I will most certainly take action,” Griffith said.

The Commissioner insisted “Overtime should be paid to officers who perform actual duties. By ordering this audit, I think I can cut expenditure by over ten million dollars a month and within a year those funds could be used to acquire all of the critical resources needed, from equipment to training to technology improvement and other assets.”

He assured, “this is not a witch hunt, but if people are being paid overtime, they must have worked and it must have been for a reason.”

Newsday was told only uniformed 2nd Division officers can apply for overtime.

President of the Police Social and Welfare Association Inspector Michael Seales welcomed the audit saying this was long overdue.

“The Association will simply say the overtime facility is a privilege and not a right. What has happened over time is that overtime has become institutionalised and has lost its existence as a motivating component of performance. The challenge really for the Commissioner is his ability to discern which claims for overtime are genuine or dishonest,” Seales said.