Montreal's police force had to pay out $7.3 million in overtime to officers supervising last spring's student demonstrations.

The overtime cost figures, calculated from February 1 to June 27, were obtained by Radio-Canada through an access-to-information request.

The last two months of the nightly protests were the most expensive — with officers logging $5.6 million in overtime hours.

The Sûreté du Québec is refusing to release figures on overtime costs related to student demonstrations.

The provincial police force refused to provide the number on the grounds it could jeopardize public safety.