A civic group in Yala is urging the authorities to investigate claims that police officers at two stations have been cheated out of their extra pay for working overtime amid Covid-19.
Busayamas Isadul, head of the Ban Boon Tem civic group, said the group received complaints that officers at the Raman and Lam Mai district police stations have not been fully paid the extra money that was promised to them for working overtime.
She said police officers who have received extra payments for working overtime were told to withdraw the money and hand it over for redistribution to other staff, including those responsible for administrative work.
As a result, those who put in extra hours during the pandemic ended up getting less money than what they were due, she said.
It was not the first time they have been cheated out of their allowance, she said, quoting the complaints.
Some police officers claim they received 8,000-9,000 baht after redistribution when they are entitled to 20,000-30,000 baht, she said.
A policeman, who asked not to be named, said the policy is not fair to those who put in extra hours.
He said police officers are entitled to a maximum of 420 baht per day for overtime work, but they were paid 240 baht per day after the reallocation, noting those who agreed to the lesser amount were even paid less.
A police superintendent allegedly collected 6 million baht from a previous batch of allowance and bought a 50-rai durian plantation in Betong district.