Finish duty early, British cops told
By IANSWednesday, September 22, 2010
LONDON - Police officials on patrolling duty at a London borough were told to clock off an hour early to save money.
The Sun reported Wednesday that beat bobbies were called back to the base at 5 a.m. even though their shift finished at 6 a.m. by police inspectors.
This was done so that the police officials in Islington, North London, would not be able to claim extra pay if they made a late arrest and had to work overtime.
Superintendent John Sutherland said: “The motivation was to avoid unnecessary expenditure. But it was a mistake. I will make sure it never happens again.”
Islington’s crime rate is almost double of the national average and robberies are six times higher.
“It’s a disgraceful insult to the public who pay their wages,” a police source was quoted as saying.
