Police officers work hard and often finish their shifts late. This leaves many police officers with little time to get home, eat, and see their families before going to bed. As a Police officer, you cannot simply walk away and hang up your boots for the day.
Unfortunately, there is a lot of overtime involved in the Police. A recent freedom of information request found Police Scotland officers worked 1,074,545 hours of overtime in 2021/22 – 3.1 per cent of all hours worked during the year.
Police Scotland Overtime Policy
Police Scotland officers get paid overtime for working more than their contracted hours. Officers are also entitled to shift allowances for working shifts of 12 hours or more. Officers are paid in 15-minute increments and are paid time and a third of their normal hourly wage. If an officer is on a night shift before their days off, overtime is paid double their hourly wage.
There are different overtime rates for different situations, such as working into your annual leave, unplanned overtime, and recall to duty. It is best to consult your Police federation rep for more information on these rates.
