MOSCOW (Sputnik) — UK police officers from 39 departments nationwide received a total of £6 million ($9.4 million) for overtime work in 2014 to compensate for staff shortages in law enforcement, a Freedom of Information request by BBC Radio 5 Live revealed Wednesday.
"This means the department has been carrying a significant number of vacancies, resulting in an increased need for planned overtime," police inspector Tony Morris told the BBC.
The UK Home Office told the BBC that the government "has already taken steps to reduce unnecessary overtime payments."
The forces worked extra hours only when it was essential and inevitable, the BBC said, adding the overtime money was often paid to officers in "very specialist roles," which only a limited number of staff was able to perform.
In recent years, numerous reports have appeared about officers significantly multiplying their salaries by working extra hours.