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A garda last year received € 55,086 in overtime payments, new figures show.
According to figures released by the gardai in response to a Freedom of Information request, three members of the force last year received overtime pay of more than € 50,000.
The garda who earned the most overtime was just one of two Garda members ranked in the top ten with the rest consisting of two inspectors and six sergeants.
The figures show that one inspector received € 54,437 in overtime with a second inspector the only other member who received more than € 50,000 in overtime at € 51,696.
(Image: Collins Photo Agency)
The Garda superior sergeant who earned overtime received € 49,549 in overtime pay.
The top ten overtime winners shared just under € 500,000 in overtime pay last year fueled by members’ involvement in police operations for President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.
Gardai’s total spending, including overtime payments, for last year’s two visits totaled € 13.67 million.
State spending on overtime, accommodation, meals and payments to third parties amounted to € 11.3 million for Trump’s visit last June and € 2.37 million for Pence’s visit in September.
Underscoring the scale of the security operation for Trump’s visit, 3,820 gardai received overtime pay in connection with Trump’s visit, about 27% of Garda’s total force of 14,251.
The size of the operation resulted in a long-term payment of € 7,489 million to Gardai.
The highest earning Garda member from Operation Trump received € 12,915 in overtime pay.
Garda’s figures show that last year € 105.9 million was paid in overtime by division, with Garda’s largest overtime drain in the capital, where € 37.4 million was spent on overtime.
Regarding the top 10 overtime winners last year, Garda’s FOI unit has declined to identify the Garda division they are based on.
The unit states that “due to the small number of people described in the registry, disclosure of the details of the concerns of Garda divisions used in conjunction with the range could identify and therefore reveal overtime earnings of the people involved. “
Speaking recently about overtime pay for rank and file members, Garda Representatives Association (GRA) Secretary General Pat Ennis said: “Most GRA members earn less than € 1,000 a year in extra hours. He stated, “Only a small proportion, about 12 percent, of our members receive significant additional overtime pay.”
Mr. Ennis stated that the continued need for overtime “is clearly indicative of a lack of resources. Ideally, in circumstances where there is a continuing need, the level of staff should be increased to address the deficit.”
He stated, “About 25 percent of Garda’s overtime budget is for pre-tour briefings.
“This is a predictable cost and therefore should not be considered part of the overtime budget. It’s a payment at an overtime rate, not overtime itself. “
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