POLICE officers are at risk of fatigue, South Yorkshire Police Federation has said, following reports that one in 10 South Yorkshire Police officers and staff have a second source of income.<\/p>\n
An article in The Star studied an online register of business interests at South Yorkshire Police and found that 606 South Yorkshire Police officers and staff had second jobs \u2013 including as driving instructors, sports coaches and cleaners. It is not known how many of the roles are voluntary.<\/p>\n
Police officers and staff members must give written notice, which is not always approved, to the Chief Constable if they have a secondary employment or business interest.<\/p>\n
South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair Steve Kent said \u201cThese figures don\u2019t surprise me at all, but I presume that these would potentially be more staff-weighted than officer-weighted.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur officers can\u2019t have a second occupation, unless they are approved under very strict circumstances. So the fact some officers are actually doing that is a key indicator of where we are.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re also very careful in advising officers about overtime, because overtime is not a right. There are a lot of officers who depend on overtime to make ends meet.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the same principle as having another occupation, whether you\u2019re doing extra hours in the police or extra hours in a second occupation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are really worried that officers are worn out because policing has never been as challenging, and the fatigue out there is real. So we are very carefully telling officers that they must get rest.\u201d<\/p>\n