POLICE overtime is being cut across North Yorkshire in a new bid to reduce spending.

Only six weeks after the force said there were no plans to review its overtime policy, it has revealed “further, rigorous” controls were being introduced.

Chief finance officer Joanna Carter said the use of overtime would be minimised wherever possible.

“Requests for overtime are scrutinised more than ever, ensuring it is used appropriately and within its established budget,” she said.

But she insisted it was not being scrapped altogether, saying it could still be used where there was “absolute operational necessity”.

The Police Federation said today it would monitor the impact of the changes to ensure they did not affect the service provided or the safety of officers.

Nigel Day, secretary of the federation’s North Yorkshire branch, said it could mean that an officer dealing with a road accident would be replaced by another in the final stages when his shift ended, to avoid overtime having to be paid out.

He said the impact on officers’ income would vary from one to another.

One York police officer told The Press the changes would affect the extra income provided by overtime for some officers, and would “very possibly” affect the work done to drive down North Yorkshire crime levels to the lowest levels in a decade.

Another officer said staff working in areas such as custody and in the cells, whose hours could be varied, might be most affected by the change.

The Press revealed in June that the force spent £4 million on overtime in 2009/10, compared with £2.5 million in 2008/2009, following a string of major incidents including the disappearance of Claudia Lawrence and murders at Burn and Melsonby.

Joanna Carter said then this had reversed a reduction in overtime figures in recent years, but a force spokesman said then: “There are no plans to review the overtime policy at this time.”