Assumed Overtime Rule Is Outdated

A long-standing expectation that officers give extra time at the end of their shifts is outdated, South Yorkshire Police Federation says.

The so-called “half-hour for the King” is a routine expectation for officers enshrined in police regulations when they work unscheduled overtime.

Recent changes in the way it is applied means police can be paid a small pot of overtime for it, but Federation Chair Steve Kent believes officers are still being taken advantage of.

He said: “The amount of times cops are working over now shows they are being taken advantage of.

“It needs to go – or there needs to be a substantial uplift in the pay to reflect it.”

South Yorkshire Police has already changed how it applies the half-hour, with its officers planning ahead for extended shifts and being paid overtime as a result.

Steve said he was glad to have helped start a national conversation on other forces following suit.

However, he added: “I want to again be clear that we at South Yorkshire Fed and our region have been campaigning to remove the half an hour for the King and Queen for years.

“That’s minuted in national meetings: We’re on it, we’re still on it and we believe it needs to go.”