One in 10 South Yorkshire Police officers and staff have a second source of income

An online register of business interests at South Yorkshire Police says out of the force's approximately 5,200 employees, including around 3,000 officers, 606 have second jobs including driving instructor roles (13) and health and beauty treatment salespeople (14) to supplement their pay packet.

The variety of second jobs and other ‘business interests’, a term which also covers voluntary roles, include 73 people taking part in casual part-time work and 20 who are directors of other companies.

Other roles include cleaners (6), photography (14), sales (17), office jobs (21), sports coaches (24), and catering (3).

The register shows that 298 people are involved in the renting out of properties, adding up to a little less than half of all registered interests.

New police officers at SYP start on a £23,556 minimum salary.

Police officers have to register their business interests, a term which includes holding “any office or employment for hire or gain”, or carrying “on any business”. It also includes any police officer who has a licence for alcohol sales, betting, or gaming, or who has a relative who does.

The “gain” is not limited to financial benefit. As such, voluntary work may need to be registered as a business interest. The online register does not differentiate between which roles listed are voluntary.

In 2018, a survey suggested as many as 10,000 officers in England and Wales had taken on second jobs.