Last week I revealed how Thames Valley Police Authority attempted to call a halt to a Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism operation in High Wycombe because of spiralling costs.

No wonder their costs were rocketing. Under their noses it appears there was outrageous exploitation of the overtime system that could potentially have doubled monthly salary payments.

Some could say that these e-mails are not what they seem and were intended only as a joke - that is an even more cynical interpretation. When I read them my mind was taken back to the miners’ strike in the early Eighties. Police officers were working incredibly long hours, which meant high overtime payments, in stark contrast to the miners who were on the breadline.

It was common practice to have an informal rota whereby the overtime was spread evenly among colleagues. There were ingenious uses of the overtime system then too. Recalls to strike duty coincided spookily with Bank Holidays - meaning “double bubble”.

So, a quarter of a century later, should we be surprised by the antics in Thames Valley? Sadly not. Those involved will justify the payments as just reward for standing on a cordon protecting a crime scene. What is lost on them is that their nest egg will prevent other essential policing services being provided to the public or the provision of better equipment for frontline police officers.

The police service has made great strides to improve its image and standards. Unfortunately actions such as these expose aspects of the old gravy train culture that go untouched.

There is some good news from this sorry tale. Someone in Thames Valley saw fit to blow the whistle. Interestingly, the allegations were reported to this newspaper and not to the force itself. Perhaps that was because the informant did not have confidence that his complaint would be taken seriously.

Andy Hayman is a former assistant commissioner at Scotland Yard

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