STARTLING NUMBERS ARE MADE PUBLIC REGARDING OVERTIME PAYMENTS, WITHIN THE POLICE SERVICE.

THE TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO POLICE SERVICE IS SAID TO HAVE PAID OUT ALMOST, $794 MILLION IN OVERTIME CLAIMS OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS AND EIGHT MONTHS.

THE FIGURES WERE RELEASED UNDER THE, FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT.

THE DATA, WAS OBTAINED IN RESPONSE TO AN APPLICATION BY, ATTORNEY KERON RAMKHALWHAN ON BEHALF OF HIS CLIENT VISHAL PERSAD.

THE DISCLOSURE SHOWED THE OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE ACCUMULATED, $627,898.92 FOR WORKING 10,902 HOURS OF OVERTIME.

THE FIGURES WERE PROVIDED BY THE TTPS FINANCE BRANCH, IN RESPONSE TO A REQUEST DATED AUGUST 20TH, FOR THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF OVERTIME PAYMENTS MADE TO POLICE OFFICERS BETWEEN JANUARY 2024 AND AUGUST 2026, AS WELL AS A BREAKDOWN BY UNIT AND/OR DIVISION.

THE EXPRESS NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED TODAY, THAT THE INFORMATION WAS APPROVED AND RELEASED BY THE OFFICE OF THE HEAD OF LEGAL SERVICES.

THE MONTHLY FIGURES SHOW THAT OVERTIME PAYMENTS INCREASED FROM AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT, $19.5 MILLION PER MONTH IN 2024 TO ABOUT $23.1 MILLION IN 2025 AND APPROXIMATELY $35.4 MILLION PER MONTH, DURING THE FIRST EIGHT MONTHS OF 2026.

ATTORNEY AT LAW KERON RAMKHALWHAN, IS REPORTED AS SAYING AN INDEPENDENT AUDIT SHOULD BE ORDERED.

HE IS QUOTED AS SAYING, OVERTIME IS MEANT TO BE THE EXCEPTION NOT THE RULE.