Met Police only spent £35,000 calling the Speaking Clock
DID you know that the Metropolitan Police Force spent £35,000 on the Speaking Clock in the past two years? It’s true. You can ask a policeman the time secure in the knowledge that he will check his sources and deliver the truth.
Londonist reports that “by May 2012 there are predicted to be 32,510 officers on the Met’s payroll“. There are also over 14,00o other staff on the books. That’s 46,000 people spending £35,000 on the Speaking Clock over two years. These workers between them made 110,000 calls to the Speaking Clock. That works out between one and two calls per worker per year.
Matthew Sinclair, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said this was “incredible”.
Is it? Is it incredible to think that officers going out on a job and, say, resetting their mobile phones check the time and synchronise devices with their colleagues?
The Met also spent £95,313 on directory enquiries in 2010/11, down from £121,501 the previous year. Incredible, indeed. Why the hell isn’t directory enquiries free?
Posted: 19th, January 2012 | In: Money Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
