THEY may have only lasted a few weeks but the bill to Cambridgeshire Police in overtime for dealing with last summer’s disturbances rocketed to more than three quarters of a million pounds.

Chief Constable Simon Parr told Cambs Police Authority on Thursday that “overtime spending in respect of Operation Theta, the force’s internal response to the recent civil unrest, amounted to �783,000”.

Additionally Cambs spent �288,000 in overtime payments to officers deployed to the Met but these costs can be reclaimed, he said. That apart the amount spent on overtime “demonstrates continuing tight management control and scrutiny”.

Across the board the county’s police force had managed well with a “significant under spend” he said in the region of �4.9 million, or nearly four per cent of the budget.

“A major contributory factor has been the recruitment freeze which has reduced head count for both police officers and police staff,” he said.

“Consequential savings in people relate budget lines such as training, travel expenses and general office expenses have also contributed to the forecast under spend.”

And the decision by Cambridgeshire police to lead the way in restorative justice “has yielded savings across the revenue account in custody and custody related costs such as interpreters and custody medical costs.”