Cambridgeshire Constabulary
Ethics Playing Cards
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K
Is it ok to volunteer for every overtime shift available, or make a bit of extra money on the side of your job?
Case Studies
- A friend asks if you can cover a couple of shifts at a nightclub because a bouncer is off sick. Is that ok?
- You become aware that a shift manager is manipulating overtime by choosing rest days that will later need to be handed back due to a known peak in officer demand (thus getting compensated with extra leave). Is this just a perk of being in charge?
- You have a successful hobby selling vintage clothes on eBay. At what point does this become an activity that must be declared to PSD?
Discussion
In a time of rising living costs, many people will be feeling the pinch. Some extra cash is always welcome, but police and police staff both need to be very careful about other sources of income as they are vulnerable to a number of threats.
- Being questioned about your motivation or even criticised for doing overtime when the department is short-staffed and there is no alternative can obviously be extremely annoying. Some consistently high-earners who take on additional shifts are simply working very hard and deserve to be respected for this. However, is there a wider cost when people have to do overtime just to make the system work?
From the Policy Statement from the Overtime Police: “It is incumbent on all public services, including the Police Service, to provide value for money. Cambridgeshire Constabulary is committed to making effective and efficient use of resources, whilst managing the health and wellbeing of personnel. Overtime, in principle should be a temporary solution to address a specific priority, task or operational requirement. It should be time-limited and should be robustly monitored and managed.”
- On the other hand, if this is a symptom of a problem, then it might be a situation that requires help and support. An officer with financial problems is vulnerable to pressure and blackmail from 3rd parties. What should you do if you find it hard to make ends meet, or are dealing with an accumulation of bad debts etc? Where would you go for support?
- Clearly, payday loans (or worse) can make a bad situation worse very quickly and can also lead to additional risks as a 3rd party now has leverage over an individual.
- External paid activity needs to be cleared with PSD, but what jobs or roles would automatically be rejected, and why? Note that any job that could place you in a compromising position, or that could call your profession into disrepute would automatically be problematic.
- When it comes to overtime, what counts as legitimate and what counts as manipulation of the system? For example, if you are able to control a schedule and start planning workdays around sporting events, or scheduling friends for the most attractive shift patterns, etc. How can allocation be done in a way that removes potential bias or manipulation?
- You have to declare part time jobs, but at what point does an interest that is not really a job have to be declared? For example, some hobbies, from eBaying clothes to being a part time musician, can become successful and start generating real income. When does this become a notifiable activity?
- NB - HMRC accepts that you can earn up to £1,000 for hobby activity such as eBay selling without having to declare it. This appears to be a good threshold to consider for taking advantage of otherwise appropriate external opportunities, and considering at what point they need to be raised.
- CC - According to Policy any activity over and above duties within the Force, whether it be paid or voluntary, should be aware it constitutes a Business Interest which the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) have a responsibility to record and review. For example, coaching a local youth football team would be a business interest even if unpaid.