Gardaí earned a total of more than €77 million in overtime last year, with 19 of the top 20 recipients based in Dublin, according to new figures.
The figures, released through the Freedom of Information Act by the Department of Justice yesterday, show the highest overtime-earning garda in 2005 received €45,057 on top of his salary.
In all, the top 20 shared €809,654. They included 10 sergeants, seven rank and file gardaí and three inspectors.
A garda's pay scale starts at €23,952 rising to €43,040 after 17 years' service.
A sergeant's salary scale ranges from €43,457 to €50,040, while an inspector can earn from €50,313 to €55,829.
The overall Garda overtime bill last year was down 7 per cent on the €83.5 million spent in 2004. The bill in 2004 was a 47 per cent increase on the funds spent on overtime in 2003, and included operations such as security for the EU presidency and the visit of President Bush.
The overtime bill last year included €478,769 spent on the security operation at Shannon airport due to ongoing security concerns over protests or incursions in response to the use of the airport by the US military.
A spokesman for the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors said yesterday overtime is not an issue in its opposition to the proposed Garda Reserve.
"We want more members to be recruited which would reduce the overtime costs. Policing must contain some element of overtime as criminals don't work nine-to-five."
He said that policing levels in Ireland are low by international standards and that the Government commitment to bring the force up to 14,000 will put it on a par with other European countries.
Fine Gael justice spokesman Jim O'Keeffe said yesterday: "The reason that the overtime is €77 million is that the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, has failed to increase adequately the number of gardaí.
"We don't have enough gardaí, it is an obvious problem," he added.
