Garda Commissioner overtime bill 20% over budget as garda spending hit by US visits

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has told the Policing Authority his overtime bill is 20% over budget and that this has been driven by policing demands outside his allocated resources, such as the visit of US president Donald Trump.

The commissioner’s August report to the authority said the organisation has been told by the Government that the extra costs must be managed from within their original allocated budget.