The budget for the Bermuda Police Service has been increased marginally by Bob Richards, the finance minister, for the next financial year.

For 2015-16, the police budget was initially set at $64,423,000, but that forecast has been revised to $64,487,000.

Expenditure has been increased by $172,000 to $64,595,000.

The small increase in government funding comes after a year of upheaval in the force when the Commissioner of Police, Michael DeSilva, announced a handful of redundancies.

Mr DeSilva has not ruled out the possibility of more officers not having their contract renewed in the coming financial year.

Police have also cut their overtime spending by more than a half over the past five years to reach budget targets.

Meanwhile, the Bermuda Government and the Bermuda Police Association have been at loggerheads over budget negotiations since last year, with matters coming to a head in December, when about 100 police officers amassed on Cabinet grounds to present complaints to the Premier.

According to the Government’s budget booklet over $46 million of the $64.5 million is expected to be paid out in salaries in 2016-17 financial year.

Employee numbers within the force in all departments is expected to go from 535 in 2015-16 to 529 in 2016-17, including an increase of two from 442 to 444 in the Commissioner’s Office.