There will be many people reading our front page story who will be astonished at the number of police officers who have second jobs.

Not, perhaps, because it's so strange for someone to want to top up their income.

More likely, the surprise will be associated with a feeling that police officers just cannot have the time or energy to devote to a another job, bearing in mind the wear and tear of their main occupation.

We often read of high stress levels in jobs such as the police – and with the kind of incidents they deal with, who could blame them?

On the one level, what people do in their spare time is up to them.

And some of the second jobs will undoubtedly be little more than hobbies for which the officers receive a few quid in payment. The figures given to the Post, for instance, reveal 22 police officers are paid musicians and we know anecdotally of officers who give instruction in leisure activities.

In all probability, many of these second jobs are just extensions of their leisure time and probably do not infringe on their main duties.

What is concerning is whether dozens of officers who run their own business could be in a position where they are distracted.

Many self-employed people who do not have enough hours in the day to carry out all their work, and they don't have a full-time position as a police officer to fit in too.

There is also a danger officers' time off between shifts, when they need to take advantage of the rest period, could instead be devoted to the other business.

As the Taxpayers' Alliance says, the consequences of stressed officers being put under more pressure by a second job could be serious. It is vital senior officers maintain scrutiny on all officers with second jobs … and act quickly if there is even a hint that their police work is being affected.