Garda overtime ban comes into effect and will be 'severely curtailed' for rest of year
Garda overtime has been severely curtailed for the rest of the year.
In a directive from Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, all overtime spending will be cut until the new year due to budgetary constraints.
The ban covers all non-essential duties except matters such as court proceeding and urgent security operations.
A Garda spokesperson said superintendents will also be able to sanction overtime for specific operations – but only if they are expressly approved by Deputy Commissioner Policing & Security John Twomey.
She said the need for the force to work within the budget provide by the Government has been stressed continually to Garda managers at all level throughout the year.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has previously warned that the visit of US President Donald Trump had contributed to an overtime overspend of €10m this year.
The general pay spend is also €2m over budget.
It is believed President Trump’s visit cost the State somewhere in the region of €10 to €12m, with US Vice President Mike Pence’s visit costing up to €5m.
