POLICE chiefs were meeting today to discuss how to cover the cost of tracing Mark Hobson.

The total bill for the seven-day search, which involved more than 200 police staff, is expected to run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.

North Yorkshire Chief Constable Della Cannings was announcing today how the force's overtime costs had been slashed by eight per cent last year.

But it remains to be seen how the cost of finding the former binman after the double murders in Strensall and Camblesforth will be met.

Police Authority chairman Jane Kenyon said whatever the final cost of the search, residents were receiving "good value".

She said some of the cash will be drawn from a major incident fund.

"We will be meeting today to make sure that we are squeezing the pips out of overtime, and if we can exceed Government targets then so much the better.

"But, as we are only to well aware in York, there are pressures on the service at times that you cannot plan for," she said.

The Government has told North Yorkshire Police to cut overtime by 15 per cent over three years.

New Police Authority figures show overtime costs were reduced to less than £2 million in 2003/4.

Police chiefs hope that this will ensure more effective management of working time, cut the overtime bill, and provide a better work and life balance for police officers.

Ms Cannings said: "The savings achieved have been redeployed to generate greater visibility and improved levels of reassurance."

The force is now working towards a cut of four per cent this year, which would take the annual cost of overtime to £1.937 million. A further reduction of three per cent is planned for 2005/6.

The changes are part of a package of reforms to ranks' pay and conditions, agreed by the Police Negotiating Board in May 2002.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said the cuts had been helped by an increase in officers, allowing the workload to be spread more evenly.

Hobson has been charged with the murders of his girlfriend, Claire Sanderson, 27, and her twin sister, Diane, at Camblesforth, and elderly couple James and Joan Britton at Strensall.

He will appear before Leeds Crown Court on Friday after being remanded in custody last week by Harrogate magistrates.

Updated: 10:03 Monday, August 02, 2004