• Cuts revealed over five-year period
• Wales hit the hardest with 37% fall
• Charity calls for Government action

The number of traffic police enforcing the law on UK roads has been slashed by nearly 12% over the past five years, according to road safety charity Brake.

Data from Freedom of Information requests to 52 UK police forces revealed that cuts in numbers of traffic officers are six times greater than the reduction in overall police numbers during the same period – this was down by 1.8%.

Wales has been hit hardest, where the number of road-policing officers has been slashed by 37% since 2007. England was next, with a reduction of nearly 10%. Northern Ireland has cut heads by 7.3% and Scotland has lost 3.6%.

Brake is calling for Government action to halt the decline, which it warns could lead to more drivers believing they can get away with drink-driving and other illegal activities.

A survey last year by Brake and insurance firm Direct Line revealed 53% of drivers think there is less than a one-in-four chance of being caught if they drink and drive; 31% think there is a less than a one-in-10 chance.

UK Traffic police numbers fall by 11.6%

A police worker who was paid £120,000 for a bruise suffered on the job is just one instance of huge compensation payouts by police that have totalled £12million.

Figures obtained under Freedom of Information requests reveal the vast sum at a time when cuts in the police force has left the lowest number of officers on the beat for decade.

The highest single award was made by Hertfordshire Police who paid £550,000 to a civilian police employee who slipped on ice in a car park and broke an elbow, which led to chronic pain syndrome.
Scotland Yard: The Metropolitan Police has paid out a total of £918,575 in compensation since 2006

But the most galling is the £120,516 given to a police worker for a ‘bruise’ by West Midlands Police, which refused to disclose any more details of the incident.

FOI requests to the 43 police forces in England and Wales plus the British Transport Police and Civil Nuclear Constabulary, showed they had paid £12,109,426 in damages since 2006.

Most claims from 2011 had still not been settled, and four forces did not respond in time, so the true figure could be considerably higher.

The total sum would be enough to put 600 new police on the streets with forces facing 20 per cent budget cuts over five years. 

PC (POLICE COMPO): THE TOP 10 PAY-OUTS BY FORCE… AND THE CUTS THEY HAVE TO MAKE 

The highest total amount paid out by any one force was the £2.58m from Greater Manchester Police.

But three forces breached the million-pound barrier, with a further two paying out more than half a million.

The top 10 total payouts by police forces are ranked below.

Greater Manchester

SPENT: £2,585,309

CUTTING: 2,900 of its 12,000 staff by 2015 to help save £132.

Hertfordshire

SPENT £1,204,136

CUTTING: 3,900 staff, making £36m cuts over four years

West Midlands

SPENT: £1,106,378

CUTTING: 12,291 staff, facing £126m cuts over four years

Met Police

SPENT: £918,575

CUTTING: 55,400 staff, facing £463m budget deficit

Northumbria

SPENT: £619,508

CUTTING: 6,500 staff, facing £57m cuts over three years

Thames Valley

SPENT: £459,931

CUTTING: 3,000 staff, facing £12m cuts

Merseyside

SPENT: £437,164

CUTTING: 6,700 staff, facing £61.5m cuts over five years

Lincolnshire

SPENT: £418,583

CUTTING: 2,350 staff, facing £19.7m cuts over three years

Staffordshire

SPENT: £414,219

CUTTING: 4,109 staff, £138m cuts over five years

West Mercia

SPENT: £343,621

CUTTING: 12,500 staff, facing £34m cuts over four years

The amount spent has been slammed by The Taxpayers Alliance which said police needed to do more to fight ‘questionable claims’. 

‘Sadly the growing compensation culture in this country is partly responsible for many of these bonkers pay outs,’ spokesman Robert Oxley told MailOnline.

‘Police forces should look after civilian staff in the workplace but also fight questionable claims so that taxpayers’ money isn’t diverted away from the frontline.

‘Some police officers are more at risk of injury or accident than those who are deskbound, but many of these incidents looks trivial and money could be saved by cutting the number of claims.’

The force that has paid out the most since 2006 is Greater Manchester Police, which has spent a whopping £2.58million on compensation for its staff. It is tasked with making 2,900 job cuts by 2015, totaling £124m.

Among the more bizarre awards are a payment of £14,000 to a sergeant in Humberside Police who said that the buzzer on cell doors had given him tinnitus.

There was also a payout of £17,500 by for ‘noise-induced deafness from computer/keyboard’ revealed in the figures.

Some money was actually spent on injuries in the line of duty, with £2,052 going to an officer in Bedfordshire who put his hand through a pane of glass while running out of the door to answer a 999 call.

But the figures have been revealed at a time when police officer numbers have fallen by more than 6,000 in a year.

The total Home Office grant for forces in England and Wales will fall by 20 per cent by 2015.

There is now a total of 136,261 officers in England and Wales, a fall of 6,012 – or 4 per cent – on 12 months ago.

The biggest falls were in large urban forces. In London, the total fell by 1,267, in Manchester 320 and in the West Midlands nearly 500. However, Surrey police increased officer numbers by nearly 100.

A spokeswoman for Herts Police, which paid out the biggest single claim and the second most overall, said: ‘We would not comment on individual cases as this would not be appropriate. Each case is decided on its own facts and merits.’

A West Midlands spokesman refused to divulge further details on the massive bruise payout, but said: ‘Compensation payouts are only made following the assessment of appropriate medical evidence by the in-house legal team, insurers and solicitors who then make a recommendation to the force as to what payment should be made, based on expert knowledge and published case law.’

A Merseyside Police spokesperson, said: ‘All personal injury claims received by the Force are thoroughly and robustly investigated.

‘It is regrettable when any officer or staff member within the Force is injured during the performance of their duties.’

However MP Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Office select committee said: ‘Police forces are facing 20 per cent budget cuts. Whilst some serious injuries deserve compensation, I’m alarmed that they continue to be liable for every trip and slip in the workplace.

‘It would be good if the Prime minister would use this information in his drive to kill off the health and safety culture.’

But Ben Priestley, UNISON’s national officer for police staff, defended the payouts.

He said: ‘The police do a really important job and it is only right that they are supported if they are injured at work.

‘The sums involved are just  0.01 per cent of the £17 billion budget.

‘This mustn’t be used as a distraction from the huge cuts being made to the police, which are forcing officers to pick up duties previously carried out by back office staff and threaten to increase crime levels in all our communities.’

THE BRUISED ARM OF THE LAW: BIZARRE PAY-OUTS

Nasty nip: A Lancashire police dog handler was paid £46,604 after being bitten

Among the individual cases detailed by police forces in the course of investigations were….

£100,000: For a Durham PC who tripped in a police station.

£46,000: For a Lancashire Police kennel hand who was bitten by a police dog.

£16,000:For a Gloucestershire Police worker who tripped over some packing crates during an office move.

£11,500: For a Humberside Police support worker who was injured while lifting a bike without supervision.

£12,000: For an officer who caught a heel on a gate while leaving a car park.

UNDISCLOSED: There were also payments of an undisclosed amount to: a Thames Valley PC was hurt while arresting a suspect because he was using detective-issue handcuffs; A Lancashire officer who spiked himself on his police radio; a worker who ‘fell down stairs after slipping on food’ and an employee of Warwickshire Police who injured their hand removing a file in 2006.

CAREFUL, WE BRUISE EASILY: Among the details are £120,516 for a bruise awarded to an employee at West Midlands Police in 2011 and £80,910 for another bruise awarded in 2005.  The force, which also paid out £161,029 to bruised staff in 2001, refused to provide further details. The same Force is dealing with an unresolved £3,300 claim for a rash from a dog or other animal.

OUTSTANDING: Thames Valley has an ongoing claim case with a PC who ‘fell off an unsafe picnic bench’. An officer is suing Cheshire Police for an injury allegedly sustained ‘carrying kit in a confined space’.

LISTEN CAREFULLY: An outbreak of work-related hearing loss in Northern Ireland has seen 3,194 officers and civilian staff claims damages.

CHECK YOUR NOTEPAD, OFFICER: HALF OF THE 10 MOST EXPENSIVE PAY-OUTS IN THE COUNTRY ARE SOMEWHAT LIGHT ON DETAIL…

Hertfordshire Police - £550,000. Chronic Pain Syndrome from elbow fracture after slip. 

West Midlands - £120,516 for a bruise. No further details supplied.

Northumbria - £109,889 for spine fracture. No further details supplied.

Durham - £100,000. Police constable tripped in a police station. No further details supplied.

West Mercia Police - £99,999. Police officer, accident, no further details supplied.

Norfolk - £70,000. Work related stress, damages and costs.

South Wales - £37,000 and £43,000. Two separate claims in 2007, no further details.

Lancashire - £46,604, dog bite suffered by a kennel hand.

Thames Valley - £42,500. Officer on motorbike collided with another police vehicle.

Read more: Compensation payouts to police officers blasted as forces pay out £12m to staff

Collapse of £30m corruption trial under fresh scrutiny

Investigators have discovered four intact files of supposedly “shredded” documents that caused the collapse of Britain’s biggest police corruption trial and allowed eight officers accused of framing innocent men to walk free.

A victim of one of the most notorious miscarriages of justice reacted furiously last night to the latest revelations and demanded a public inquiry into a case that has raised serious doubts about the ability of the criminal justice system to investigate itself.

The officers were accused of fabricating evidence following the murder of Lynette White, a prostitute, in 1988, resulting in the wrongful convictions of the so-called “Cardiff Three”. The officers’ trial collapsed in disarray last month when prosecutors revealed that files had been destroyed.

But the police watchdog said last night that the files had been discovered in their original boxes and were still in the hands of South Wales Police, which had investigated the case against officers from the same force.

Stephen Miller, 45, who spent four years in prison before being freed on appeal, told The Independent last night: “There has to be a public inquiry. This is ridiculous. When is it going to stop? Those officers are never going to be seen back in court. Some of my co-accused have now passed away – where is the justice for them?”

The officers were acquitted in December of perverting the course of justice. A judge at Swansea Crown Court ruled that they could not get a fair trial because evidence was believed lost.

The court heard that the senior investigating officer, Chris Coutts, instructed junior officers to get rid of files that prosecutors had earlier said were relevant to the case. The prosecution told the court that the destruction of the files would “inevitably be fatal to this case”, which followed a decade-long inquiry and trial that cost an estimated £30m.

A second case of four other officers, who were due to stand trial this year, was also dropped. All the officers have consistently denied all charges.

Amid an outcry over the failed prosecution, the force referred the case to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which said the documents were found this week. The files were believed to be at the force’s headquarters. The force last night declined to comment.

Mr Miller’s solicitor, Matthew Gold, said: “It seems to be another very important error by South Wales Police adding to the catalogue of errors and mistakes made during the prosecution.

“If that [the destruction of files] was wrong then the officers have walked free when they should have continued to face trial.”

Yesterday the Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC, ordered an inquiry into prosecutors’ role in the collapsed trial. The inquiry will run alongside the investigation by the IPCC into the part that police played.

The solicitors for the three surviving men said they have no faith in the inquiry by the police watchdog. They wrote to the Government last month to demand a judge-led public inquiry. Kate Maynard, who represents two of the men, said: “This case is just getting murkier and murkier.”

South Wales Police launched the original inquiry after Ms White was found stabbed more than 50 times in her flat near Cardiff docks. Police were hunting for a white man based on initial witness accounts – but five black men were later arrested.

Mr Miller was targeted by police and subjected to days of hostile questioning until he made a “confession” to the killing after more than 300 denials.

Mr Miller, Yusef Abdullahi (who died last year), and Tony Paris were convicted in 1990 of the murder of Ms White, 20, in part based on witnesses bullied by police into giving false accounts against them. Two other men, cousins John and Ronnie Actie, were cleared. Ronnie Actie died in 2007.

The men were acquitted at the Court of Appeal in 1992. Following a second investigation, Jeffrey Gafoor admitted her murder and is serving life.

Found: ‘Lost’ evidence that let police walk free

The “most difficult financial year for forces in living memory” is looming as funding cuts continue to lead to the loss of officers, policing groups have warned.

Responding to figures that there were than 6,000 fewer officers in September 2010 compared with the previous year CC Peter Fahy, the ACPO Lead on Workforce Development, said the numbers reflected the reality of the financial situation.

The statistics, released by the Home Office, highlighted that there were 136,261 police officers – or full-time equivalent – in England and Wales as of September 30, 2011

While admitting that there was some cause for optimism with forces beginning to recruit again, CC Fahy warned this would not compensate for losses caused by the funding cuts – and that the difficult times would continue.

The Chief Constable said: “The Police Service is realistic about the current economic climate but will need to seek new ways of working and new approaches to reducing demand and cost as this loss of experienced staff continues.

“We will shortly enter the most difficult financial year for policing in living memory but forces have the plans to cope with what will be a most challenging time.”

CC Fahy said that chief officers had been faced with tough choices as they managed change and redundancy programmes. He accepted that workforce morale had been hit by the pay freeze and increase in pension contributions.

He added: “The effectiveness of policing cannot be measured by the number of officers alone but by reductions in crime and increases in public confidence.”

Elsewhere Paul McKeever, Chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, described the “dramatic” decline in officers as being “the tip of the iceberg”.

He added: “We will see even fewer police officers available as we embark on policing the biggest security event this country has ever seen, the Olympic Games.

“It is deeply disappointing that the Government’s decision to cut the police budget was taken purely for fiscal reasons, without regard for the impact on public safety.”

‘Toughest Year’ For Policing Looms

How £80m efficiency drive backfired

Police officers given expensive smart phones as part of a multi-million pound efficiency programme ended up spending more time in the station.

In one force, problems with the botched project meant officers spent nearly two hours more per shift behind their desks instead of out on the beat.   

Some forces ended up with more devices than they had officers to give them to, while others were left with only one device for every 100 officers.  

More than 50,000 phones, including new Blackberry devices – were handed to officers in England and Wales, at a cost of £80million.  

It was hoped the technology would cut the number of times officers were forced to return to the police station, by allowing them to work while still on  patrol.  

But a damning report by the National Audit Office revealed one in three forces said the devices did not give officers more time out of the station. In once force the scheme led to a saving of ‘minus 109 minutes per officer per  shift… meaning more time spent in station’, the report said.  

The National Policing Improvement Agency, which ran the project, ‘does not explain why the use of mobile devices, in some forces, resulted in officers spending more time in the station’, the report said.  

Of those forces that did see officers spending more time on the beat, the average increase was 18 minutes – although one force boosted its extra beat time by 116 minutes.  

Only one in three forces said the scheme had led to bankable savings. 

Bedfordshire Police was given 50 per cent more phones than its combined total of officers and PCSOs, the report said. The Staffordshire force was given 23 per cent more phones than it needed.  

Overall, half of the 32 forces surveys had enough devices for less than half  their officers.  

The NAO concluded that the scheme was rushed out and had faced resistance from senior officers.  

Its report concluded that the scheme had not yet achieved ‘value for money’.  

Amyas Morse, head of the NAO, said ‘too little consideration was given to the need for the devices or how they would be used’.  

‘In the majority of forces, the benefits have not so far extended beyond simply allowing officers to spend more time out of the station,’ he said.

‘There is still the opportunity to achieve value for money, though, if more forces use the technology to improve the efficiency of their processes and make savings in their back-office activities.’

Margaret Hodge, chairman of the Public Accounts Committee said: ‘The business case for investing in mobile technology did not consider if local forces were  prepared for the programme or if there was the capability and capacity to introduce it.

‘The report highlights the challenge of making changes to technology across a  police service that has 2,000 separate and bespoke ICT systems.’ 

‘If value for money is to be achieved, mobile technology will need to be used  to drive improvements that will reduce paper work and make police work more efficient,’ she added. 

Smartphones ‘kept officers off the beat’:

Also at – Mobile phone scheme left some police more tied up than ever

Savings made downsizing Thames Valley Police have resulted in a projected underspend of £5.3m according to a new report by the police authority.

Deputy Chief Constable Francis Habgood said reductions had been made in staff, overtime and estate costs in 2011/12.

He said he hoped to invest additional savings into front line policing but that the £5.3m underspend was separate.

Thames Valley Police has to find about £16m worth of savings in the next financial year.

Mr Habgood said: “This is getting us ready for more cuts we are going to need to make next year.”

Graham Smith, from the Thames Valley Police Federation, which represents police officers, said: “Any underspend now should be spent on operational policing needs in the future.”

Thames Valley Police achieves £5.3m underspend

Sultan Alam was jailed for 18 months in 1996

A former Cleveland Police officer who was wrongfully sent to prison has been awarded almost £400,000 after an 18-year legal fight.

Former traffic officer Sultan Alam, 48, was jailed for 18 months in 1996 for conspiracy to steal car parts, but was cleared by the Court of Appeal in 2007.

Cleveland Police had admitted the malicious prosecution of Mr Alam, at Leeds County Court.

Judge Andrew Keyser QC said the force had tried to “destroy” his reputation.

Cleveland Police said it was “pleased” with the outcome.

As well as damages, Mr Alam will also receive compensation for loss of earnings which have yet to be calculated.

After being wrongfully jailed, Mr Alam was reinstated to Cleveland Police, but retired in 2009 on health grounds.

‘Deliberate target’

The court heard how the officer, who served half of his prison sentence, was “stitched up” by fellow officers as a result of industrial tribunal proceedings he launched in 1993, complaining of racial discrimination.

In 2003, four fellow officers involved in Mr Alam’s original prosecution were charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and other offences, but were acquitted.

In his judgement published on Wednesday, Judge Keyser said: “The claimant knew that he was not the unfortunate victim of an accidental miscarriage of justice but that he was the deliberate target of a conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, the aim of which was to destroy his reputation and his career.

“That is not an incidental feature of this case but is at the heart of the harm suffered by the claimant.

“The award of aggravated damages reflects the fact that that downfall was deliberately brought about by the concerted action of police officers.”

A Cleveland Police spokesperson said: “The events under investigation occurred many years ago and their impropriety was recognised by current senior management by the early admission of liability made on behalf of the present chief constable at the outset of this case.

“The award of compensation to Mr Alam now draws a line under this unfortunate matter. We wish Mr Alam well for the future.”

Earlier this month after hearing he would receive damages, Mr Alam said: “I’m relieved it’s over.”

Ex Cleveland PC Sultan Alam awarded £400,000 damages

Number of police officers in England and Wales fell by 6,000 in the past year

The number of police officers fell by more than 6,000 in the past year bringing the total uniformed strength of the force in England and Wales down to its lowest level for a decade.

A further 8,820 police civilian staff jobs, 11% of the total, and 907 community support officers jobs also went during the 12 months to September 2011, according to the latest Home Office figures published on Thursday.

They came as the chief constable of Gloucestershire delivered the starkest warning yet of the impact of budget cuts, warning that further cuts to his budget prompted by a council tax freeze are pushing his force towards a “cliff edge”.

The total number of sworn police officers in the 43 forces in England and Wales has fallen by 4% from 142,363 in September 2010 to 136,261 in September 2011. Home Office statisticians say this is the lowest level recorded since 2002. Civilian staff numbers have so far born the brunt of the cuts so far, falling by 11% over the same period.

The sharp fall in police numbers follows a 20% reduction in Whitehall grants for the police announced the home secretary, Theresa May, in autumn 2010 to be spread over four years. Ministers argue that frontline policing can be maintained by making the cuts in police force ‘back-office’ costs.

The funding reduction has been frontloaded in the first two years and this rate of decrease in police numbers is in line with predictions of 15,000 police jobs to be lost and can be expected to continue for at least a further 12 months.

The warning from Gloucestershire’s chief constable, Tony Melville, came in response to a barrage of warnings from police staff associations over the possible impact on frontline and neighbourhood policing of a further £1.3m savings on top of existing cuts of £24m from the £103m annual budget.

“Here in Gloucestershire, we are potentially in the middle of a perfect storm. Never before in my 34 years of policing have I experienced an issue that has galvanised staff and officers in the way that this has and I feel compelled to respond,” said Melville.

He said the force had already lost funding for 63 officers and the council tax freeze meant they were cutting much deeper than had been intended when they started reviewing their spending. “So in a small force, a series of local decisions have combined to take us to a metaphorical cliff edge much more quickly than others,” he said.

“We have already closed a majority of our stations and a third of civilian staff have been let go, so further cuts will inevitably mean that I need to look at neighbourhood policing,” said the chief constable.

His warning is the starkest yet from a senior police officer since the home secretary, Theresa May, announced a 20% cut in Whitehall grants to the police spread over the next four years. Ministers were hoping increases in the precept forces levy on council taxpayers would go some way to bridge the gap but a freeze in many areas has closed off that avenue.

Police numbers at lowest for a decade

Theresa May has cut Whitehall grants to the police by 20% over the next four years.

A chief constable has warned that further cuts to his budget prompted by a council tax freeze are pushing his force towards a “cliff edge”.

The warning from Gloucestershire’s chief constable, Tony Melville, came in response to a barrage of warnings from police staff associations over the possible impact on front-line and neighbourhood policing of a further £1.3m savings on top of existing cuts of £24m from the £103m annual budget.

“Here in Gloucestershire, we are potentially in the middle of a perfect storm. Never before in my 34 years of policing have I experienced an issue that has galvanised staff and officers in the way that this has and I feel compelled to respond,” said Melville.

He said that the force had already lost funding for 63 officers and the council tax freeze meant they were cutting much deeper than had been intended when they started reviewing their spending. “So in a small force, a series of local decisions have combined to take us to a metaphorical cliff edge much more quickly than others,” he said.

“We have already closed a majority of our stations and a third of civilian staff have been let go, so further cuts will inevitably mean that I need to look at neighbourhood policing,” said the chief constable.

His warning is the starkest yet from a senior police officer since the home secretary, Theresa May, announced a 20% cut in Whitehall grants to the police spread over the next four years. Ministers were hoping that increases in the precept forces levy on council tax payers would go some way to bridge the gap but a freeze in many areas has closed off that avenue.

Police chief warns of funding ‘cliff edge’

Ammanford police station too costly, says force chief Ian Arundale

Ammanford Police Station reportedly cost £3m to build when it opened in 2001

The Dyfed-Powys chief constable says a privately-financed police station that costs hundreds of thousands of pounds each year is not value for money.

Ian Arundale, (left) says the Ammanford station, opened in 2001, is too costly and the wrong design on the wrong site.

The force will spend £700,000 of a £3m total property budget on it this year, with the cost rising until 2031 under the Private Finance Inititative (PFI).

A senior councillor says the building is under used and only open in the day.

Dyfed-Powys spends around £3m running over 50 properties.

Mr Arundale, who joined Dyfed-Powys in 2008, told a local newspaper the force would try to renegotiate the terms of the PFI agreement.

“We are just not receiving value for money,” he said.

Kevin Madge Carmarthenshire council deputy leader

”This is an example of the worst of PFI”

”These are challenging times in which I’m having to make 20% cuts in real terms – and there’s no instruction manual on how to do it.”

But he pledged there was no threat to the police presence in the town.

The station was reported to have cost about £3m when it opened.

The force must find savings of £34m by 2015 and £13m in each subsequent year.

Local councillor and deputy leader of Carmarthenshire council Kevin Madge told BBC Wales the station was now only open during the day and much of the building was not used.

“The promise was a Rolls-Royce police station when it was being built and we’ve ended up with a Mini and people are very angry,” he said.

“In fairness to the chief constable he has inherited this and is being honest.

“This is an example of the worst of PFI.”

BBC Wales has asked Dyfed-Powys Police to clarify how well used the station is.

”Fundamental reassessment”

The Conservatives in Westminster introduced PFI in 1992 to allow private companies to finance, build and run public sector projects including hospitals, schools and council offices.

It was expanded under Labour although Chancellor George Osborne announced a “fundamental reassessment” of the use of PFI contracts in November in a bid to cut costs.

Plaid Cymru AM Rhodri Glyn Thomas, whose constituency includes Ammanford, said: “Given the tough economic climate and a 41% cut in capital funding from the UK government, we cannot be tempted to continue with such an expensive funding method.”

He said his party had suggested setting up a not-for-distributable profit company with the potential to raise up to £500m for infrastructure projects in Wales.

The Welsh government said PFI was “discredited” and it did not use it.

A spokesperson said: “We are actively exploring other opportunities, including pressing the UK government to allow us to exercise our borrowing powers and considering innovative ways of raising capital including ‘not for profit’ and public/private partnerships.”