Police pay staff £6m in compensation in a year
POLICE paid out £6.5million in compensation last year to settle claims from their own officers and staff.
Chief constables signed cheques at the rate of more than five a week in payments for stress, tripping on stairs, being bitten by police dogs and injuries on selfdefence courses.
Research by the Daily Mail using Freedom of Information laws revealed forces across the country spent £6,528,242 last year settling a total of 280 personal injury cases.
Lancashire’s police paid out £ 402,000 last year, including £230,000 to an officer whose hand was injured on a van in an incident with a prisoner It paid £92,000 and £18,000 respectively to two officers hurt while doing self-defence courses.
It also paid more than £8,000 to a staff member who was hospitalised after being bitten by a bug. Staffordshire paid £160,000 to an officer injured on a training course, while West Yorkshire handed a member of police staff £30,000 for work stress.
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘Police bosses must ensure they live up to the highest legal standards required by law as the most serious accidents can ruin lives.
‘Sometimes accidents are going to happen and in those cases it will be entirely appropriate for payments to be made.
‘But at the same time it is important to root out anyone who is playing the system with spurious demands for taxpayers’ cash as every penny paid out in compensation is taken away from front line policing.’
A spokesman for the Police Federation, which represents rankand-file officers, said they can suffer severe consequences from injuries suffered while on duty.
He said the ‘union’ wants to see the number of claims fall by improving health and safety practices to ensure
‘It can affect their ability to perform their required role, their personal life and in extreme cases it can even end their policing career,’ he added.
‘ Compensation claims are intended to compensate officers for any loss of earnings and associated or on- going health issues suffered.’