Galway Gardai receive €1m in overtime payments

Gardai in the Galway division received almost €1million in overtime pay in the first six months of this year.
That’s according to figures from the Department of Justice which were revealed following a parliamentary inquiry by Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath.
The Independent deputy asked Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald to make available the cost of Garda overtime in Galway, Tipperary, Offaly, Laois, Kilkenny, Waterford, Cork, Limerick and Clare.
Laois/Offaly topped the list with an overtime spend of €1.2 million between January and August – followed by Tipperary, Limerick and Galway.
Overall, the total cost of overtime across the nine counties during the first six months of this year was €7.2 million.
Minister Fitzgerald says the cost also includes major policing operations such as the 1916 centenary celebrations and the anti-crime initiative, Operation Thor.