article: The overtime bill rose by £4.9m over the year with policing of the Nato summit being cited as the reason. Overall, the four Welsh forces spent £16.9m in 2014-15, up from almost £12m in 2013-14. The highest overtime payment was to a Gwent Police speed camera operator who earned £23,024. BBC Radio 5 Live obtained the figures using Freedom of Information requests. Thirty nine forces responded to the request and of those, South Wales Police reported the biggest percentage increase for overtime spending in the last year, from £5.2m in 2013/14 to £8.4m in 2014/15. A force spokesman said 1,500 of its officers were among the 9,500 from across the UK involved in looking after the security of world leaders last September. The extra cost was recovered from the Home Office. The force said further overtime costs were due to special events, such as rugby and football matches, which could also be recovered from event organisers. Meanwhile Gwent Police, which was involved with policing the Nato events at the Celtic Manor, saw its overtime costs increase by 40% to a bill of £2.7m, up from £1.9m. Dyfed-Powys Police saw overtime costs increase by 33% to a total of £2.4m, up £600,000, and North Wales Police spent an additional £350,000, a rise of 12%, to £3.2m compared to 2013-14.
summary: Nearly £17m was paid out as overtime to police officers and staff across Wales last year.