Police guides · officers in England and Wales
Police response shifts explained
Response officers rotate through Earlies, Lates and Nights, often with a long Supernoon on Friday and Saturday. Each one is your normal shift, and each kind of change to it, from a late finish to a cancelled rest day, has its own rule.
Shift times are set by each force, so yours may differ from the ones here. The pay rules on this page are the national ones for full-time constables and sergeants.
The shifts
Response covers all 24 hours, so the shifts overlap at each end.
| Shift | Example times | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Early | 07:00 to 16:00 | 9 h |
| Late | 14:00 to 23:00 | 9 h |
| Night | 22:00 to 07:00 | 9 h |
| Supernoon | 16:00 to 03:00 | 11 h |
| Long Day | 07:00 to 17:00 | 10 h |
A Supernoon is a long Late, usually on Friday and Saturday. Some forces also lengthen the Days on those days.
Common patterns
- 6 on 4 off: two Earlies, two Lates, two Nights, then four rest days.
- 4 on 4 off: two Days, two Nights, then four rest days, often on 12-hour shifts.
The two are compared in police shift patterns explained.
A Supernoon is your normal shift
A Supernoon or a long Day on your roster is your normal tour of duty. Overtime starts after its rostered end, not after 8 hours.
Example: a Supernoon rostered 16:00 to 03:00 that finishes at 04:30. That's 90 minutes past 03:00. If you weren't told at the start of your shift and it's your first late finish that week, the first 30 minutes come off, and 60 minutes are paid. More on overtime.
When a shift changes
Response rotas change a lot. Each kind of change has its own rule:
- You finished late: overtime at time and a third, after the 30-minute rule. How overtime works.
- A rest day was cancelled: time and a half with fewer than 15 clear days' notice, another rest day otherwise. Work out what it's worth.
- Your start was brought forward: without 8 hours' notice, the early time can count as overtime. Quick regs.
- You were called back between shifts: overtime, with travelling time, and no 4-hour minimum. How a recall is paid.
- You got less than 11 hours off: you're owed the same amount of rest back. Quick regs.
- You worked a public holiday: double time, with a 4-hour minimum. How bank holiday pay works.
Keep a record of when you were told
Several of these rules turn on when you were told, not when the shift happened. A rest day cancelled 14 clear days ahead is paid at time and a half; at 15 clear days it isn't. Write down the date and time you were told about every change, with the new times and what you actually worked.
Sleep on a rotating rota
Moving between Earlies, Lates and Nights in the same week is hard on sleep. A nap before the first Night, going to bed soon after getting in, and a short sleep then an early night after the last Night all help. Sleeping after night shifts.
Where this comes from
- Police Regulations 2003, regulation 25 (overtime), legislation.gov.uk.
- Annex E (duty and rosters), Annex G (overtime) and Annex H (rest days and public holidays), from the determinations under the Police Regulations 2003, GOV.UK.
This is general guidance, not legal or financial advice, and it isn't a decision by your force. If something matters, check it with your Federation rep.
Every change, recorded for you
SHFTRS keeps your response rota, Supernoons included. When a shift changes, you record it in a few taps, with when you were told, and it tells you what you're owed. It's built by police, for police.