Figures obtained under a freedom of information act request by Global News, indicate that the Halifax Regional Municipality has been paying out millions of dollars in overtime to facilitate the work of the Halifax Regional Police.
The figures show that during the 2016/2017 fiscal year, the Halifax Regional Police have paid out $3,432,818 in overtime to its officers.
That number is 36 per cent higher than what was paid out four years ago during the 2013/2014 fiscal year.
According to budget documents released by the Police Board of Commissioners, officers were paid out $2,201,700 in overtime during the 2013/2014 fiscal year.
The figures include overtime earned by both sworn members and civilian employees of the police department.
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Neera Ritcey, the public relations and communications manager for the police department, explained that the department defines overtime as “work required outside of regularly scheduled hours.”
That includes things like: work that continues directly after a shift has ended, referred to as continued duty, work required on days off, referred to as call out.
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“The nature of policing means we can’t always predict what may be coming or what type of work might arise,” Ritcey said.
“Overtime is driven by things like major investigations like robberies or assaults.”
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But the number of employees does not increase dramatically over the same time period.
During the 2013/2014 fiscal year, the police employed 696 full-time employees.
Four years later, that number has only increased to 728.5.
“We do have a pretty robust and elaborate process in place to evaluate or staffing, that goes on an ongoing basis,” said Ritcey.
“We are confident that we are properly staffed.”
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The overtime figure isn’t complete. Some of the money that is paid out in overtime but is eventually recouped through something the HRP calls extra duty.
Ritcey says the department charges clients for that extra duty if police are called to a certain event such as a parade.
All numbers presented above are with the extra duty amounts removed.
Repeated requests for comment from the Halifax Regional Police Association, the union representing police in HRM, were not returned.
Global News has previously reported that 231 members of the police department — the highest number of any single department in the city — were listed as making over $100,000 in the 2016/2017 fiscal year.
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