Overtime rates

The request was successful.

Dear Surrey Police,

Under the Freedom of Information Act, I would like to request the below information:
1. The current overtime policy for Police Constables in Surrey Police
2. The rate at which overtime is paid for Police Constables
3. How much overtime Police Constables have worked within the last three pay months.

Yours faithfully,

James Peters

!Freedom of Information (Surrey), Surrey Police

Dear JAMES PETERS,

Freedom of Information: 000761/20

I write to acknowledge receipt of your FOI request which has been recorded
under the above reference number.

We will send you a response within 20 working days.

Yours Sincerely,

Alan Bayless
Information Access Team
Surrey Police
Telephone 01483 630007

!Freedom of Information (Surrey), Surrey Police

1 Attachment

Dear JAMES PETERS,

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST REFERENCE: 000761/20

I write in connection with your request for information received on
received 12/02/2020.

You had asked:

1. The current overtime policy for Police Constables in Surrey Police

2. The rate at which overtime is paid for Police Constables

3. How much overtime Police Constables have worked within the last three
pay months.

Response:

 

Section 1 of the Freedom of information Act 2000 (FOIA) places two duties
on public authorities.  Unless exemptions apply, the first duty at
s1(1)(a) is to confirm or deny whether the information specified within a
request is held.  The second duty at s1(1)(b) is to disclose information
that has been confirmed as being held.  Where exemptions are relied upon
Section 17 of the FOIA requires that we provide the applicant with a
notice which: a) states that fact, b) specifies the exemption(s) in
question and c) state (if that would not otherwise be apparent) why the
exemption applies.

 

The information that you have requested is held by Surrey Police. Please
find our response below.

 

Q1. Extract of policy regarding overtime.

 

Overtime and duty on rest days is paid in accordance with Police
Regulations.

These notes are for quick reference and where the situation is not clear
you should refer to the full regulations.

 

Overtime is only payable for hours worked in excess of the full time
threshold (40hrs). Part time employees will be paid plain time until they
reach the full time threshold. 

 

All overtime payments and time off should be authorised in advance by a
supervisory officer. In the absence of the supervisor a senior officer
from another department will be required to authorise the overtime.

Time off is not granted against overtime unless you have been given proper
authority. All overtime is recorded, authorised, monitored and paid via
the on-line exclaim application.

 

Overtime is paid a month in arrears.          

 

Only seconded officers who do not have access to Exclaim should complete a
monthly duty sheet.

 

Policies and associated guidance should inform decision making which
should consider organisational values, professional judgement (on the
context and circumstances of each situation) and ‘policing principles’. 
Decisions and subsequent action taken should be proportionate, legitimate
and ethical as informed by the National Decision Making Model.  

The overtime provisions are found in Regulation 25 and Annex G of Police
Regulations 2003.

 

Overtime for Constables and Sergeants is potentially payable (or time off
in lieu may-be taken) when:            

They remain on duty after their tour of duty or rostered shift ends;

•          They are recalled between two tours of duty or rostered shifts;
or

•          They are required to begin earlier than the rostered time
without due notice and on a day        

             When they have already completed their normal daily period of
duty or rostered
shift.                                                                      

    

1.     Planned overtime

Where members are informed at or before the commencement of their tour or
shift that they will be required to remain on duty after the tour or shift
ends, Officers will be paid @ time and a third for every 15 minutes
worked. There is NO LOSS of the first 30 mins as in the case of casual
overtime.

 

2.     Casual Overtime

This term applies where members are not informed at the commencement of
their tour of duty or rostered shift that they will be required to remain
on duty after the tour or shift ends. On each of the first four occasions
in any week when they work casual overtime, not having been informed at
the commencement of the tour or shift that this would be required, the
first 30 minutes of such overtime worked is disregarded in calculating the
overtime allowance due. This disregard applies also to equivalent time
off, should they choose time off in lieu of paid overtime.

 

Also, if a member is not informed at the commencement of his/her tour of
duty or rostered shift that s/he will be required to remain on duty after
their tour or shift ends, and the overtime worked is less than 30 minutes,
no allowance is payable.

Casual OT paid @ time and a third for the period worked.

 

3.     Recall to duty

Members who are recalled to duty between two tours of duty or rostered
shifts may be entitled to overtime. Members will be entitled to have their
travelling time treated as duty, up to any reasonable limit set by the
Chief Constable.

Members have to work a minimum of a completed period of 15 minutes when
recalled to duty (to include relevant travelling time) before they are
entitled to claim an overtime for the recall and will only be paid for
completed periods of 15 minutes thereafter @ time and a third for period
worked.

Answering the telephone does not necessarily constitute a recall to duty.
If a member receives a call which requires necessary action or duty to be
performed, this may be a recall to duty, and the member may be eligible
for appropriate compensation.

The 30 minute disregards and requirement to work for 30 minutes before any
casual overtime is taken into account is to be ignored for the purposes of
any recall to duty

– see JBB Circular 8/2016 (Produced and issued by PFEW HQ 25).

Produced and issued HQ 25

 

4.     Advancing the start of duty from the rostered time

When the commencement time of a rostered duty or shift is brought forward
without due notice so that the duty straddles the start of the force day,
and the tour or shift is begun on a day on which the member has already
completed a normal rostered tour or shift, the time worked before the
rostered commencement time is reckonable as overtime, and is also taken
into account as part of that tour of duty or rostered shift.

Example:

Assume the Force Day commences at 06.00. The rostered tour of duty on day
two is 06.00 – 14.00. The member had already completed a full tour on day
one and is told at 02.00 (on day one) to attend for duty at 04.00 and work
until 14.00 hours on day two. The member will be entitled to an overtime
allowance at time and one third for the period 04.00 - 06.00, plain time
for the period 06.00 - 12.00, and time and one third for the period 12.00
- 14.00.

 

Due notice for these purposes is defined in Regulation 25 of Police
Regulations 2003 as “notice given at least 8 hours before the revised
starting time of the rostered tour of duty in question”.

Members should be given as much notice of the duty change as possible and
every effort should be made to ensure that notice is given before the end
of the tour or shift prior to the one that is to be changed.

 

For part-time officers only additional hours worked by constables and
sergeants over 40 hours per week attract overtime

 

5.     Rate of payment

The overtime allowance, where payable, is time and one third, or
equivalent time off in lieu can be taken. It is the member’s choice
whether to take the allowance or time off in lieu.

 

 

Q2. Time and one third.

 

Q3.

+---------------------------------------------+
|Nov-19 |£  236,716.49 |
|-------------------+-------------------------|
|Dec-19 |£  187,381.59 |
|-------------------+-------------------------|
|Jan-20 |£  246,013.43 |
+---------------------------------------------+

Surrey Police provides you the right to request a re-examination of your
case under its review procedure. How to do this is set out in the attached
Appeals Notice. Having followed the full procedure, if you are still
dissatisfied, then you have the right to direct your comments to the
Information Commissioner who will give your case consideration.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in
Surrey Police. Should you have any further enquiries concerning this
matter, please write or contact us on 01483 - 630007 quoting the reference
number above.

Yours Sincerely,

Alan Bayless
Information Access Team
Surrey Police
Telephone 01483 630007