Hong Kong’s Police Overtime Bill Tops $120 Million During Protests
- Personnel costs soar as protests drag into seventh month
- Law enforcement expenses compound financial hub’s fiscal woes
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Hong Kong police officers have racked up more than $120 million in overtime wages and other allowances as they work long hours to handle unprecedented pro-democracy protests in the Asian financial hub.
Roughly 11,000 officers per month were paid more than HK$950 million ($122 million) for extra shifts between June and November, according to a document uploaded by the city legislature’s Finance Committee. The Hong Kong Police Force’s total budget for wages, allowances and other operating costs in the current fiscal year was HK$20.2 billion, the document said.