Wing Staffing Gap on a Committal Landing
You are a recruit on a committal wing of 84 prisoners housed on three landings of 28. The wing's agreed staffing standard is: during unlock, one officer for every 14 prisoners unlocked, plus one officer in the wing office; during lock-up, one officer per landing, plus one officer in the wing office. The day runs: unlock 08:00–12:00; lock-up 12:00–13:30; unlock 13:30–16:30; lock-up 16:30–19:00. The office officer counts as cover in all periods. Seven officers are rostered for the day; each provides 7.5 hours of usable cover after a 30-minute unpaid break. Overtime is paid at time-and-a-half on a €32 hourly rate. No post may be left unmanned and the unlock ratio may not be exceeded.
1. Calculate the total officer-hours the day requires, the officer-hours available, and the shortfall. State how many additional officers would be needed if each provides 7.5 usable hours.
Read the worked answer
Required cover
| Period | Duration | Officers per standard | Officer-hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unlock 08:00–12:00 | 4 h | 84/14 = 6, plus 1 office = 7 | 28 |
| Lock-up 12:00–13:30 | 1.5 h | 3 landings + 1 office = 4 | 6 |
| Unlock 13:30–16:30 | 3 h | 7 | 21 |
| Lock-up 16:30–19:00 | 2.5 h | 4 | 10 |
| Total | 11 h | - | 65 |
Available: 7 officers × 7.5 h = 52.5 officer-hours.
Shortfall: 65 − 52.5 = 12.5 officer-hours.
Additional officers: 65 ÷ 7.5 = 8.67, so 9 officers are needed - that is 2 more than rostered. Note the distinction: two extra officers give 15 hours, which covers the 12.5-hour gap with 2.5 hours to spare; the gap itself is 12.5 hours.
2. Overtime must be booked in whole hours. What is the minimum overtime cost to close the gap, and how does it compare with booking two full overtime shifts? Show your reasoning.
Read the worked answer
The overtime rate is €32 × 1.5 = €48 per hour.
- Gap of 12.5 hours, booked in whole hours, becomes 13 hours.
- 13 × €48 = €624.
Comparison:
- Two full 8-hour overtime shifts = 16 hours × €48 = €768, yielding 15 usable hours (after breaks).
- That is €144 more than the minimum and buys 2.5 hours more cover than needed.
Conclusion: €624 is the cheapest compliant option if the 12.5 hours can be worked as 13 hours of overtime spread across staff. Two full shifts are only justified if the extra 2.5 hours are redeployed to a real post (for example escort cover) - otherwise it is waste. Where a cheaper option exists, such as borrowing an officer from a lower-demand post for the afternoon, it should be costed before authorising overtime.
3. The Chief Officer proposes cancelling the afternoon unlock for one landing (28 prisoners) for the full three hours. Does this close the gap? Show the figures and identify one operational risk.
Read the worked answer
Saving: one landing of 28 needs 28/14 = 2 officers for 3 hours = 6 officer-hours.
Revised shortfall: 12.5 − 6 = 6.5 officer-hours still uncovered.
So the proposal does not close the gap; it removes roughly half of it and leaves the wing still short of its own standard.
Operational risk: 28 prisoners lose three hours of association, phone access, exercise or offending-behaviour work. Loss of regime on one landing while the others are unlocked is visible and can be read as punishment without adjudication; it also concentrates prisoners in lock-up at a time when staff are thinnest, which raises the risk of barricading, cell damage or self-harm going unnoticed. The measure should therefore be presented as a last resort with the Governor's authority, not adopted silently as a saving.