Reading Police pays out £137,000 in compensation

Reading Police pays out £137,000 in compensation

The Reading Chronicle has revealed that police in Reading have paid out almost £137,000 in compensation in the last year, including claims for negligence and assault.

The compensation figures, which were obtained by the Chronicle under the Freedom of Information Act, show a total of £136,786 was paid out in 2005. The largest amount paid was £34,568, which went to 16 people claiming they were victims of wrongful or irregular arrests and £30,000 was awarded in one case where officers failed to carry out their duty properly.

Police area commander Superintendent Steve Kirk said: "If you break these figures down, most are necessary operational expenses and it doesn't mean we were in the wrong. Even if someone is bitten by a dog, it doesn't mean the dog was doing anything wrong. I regret any instance of negligence but like any big organisation, we sometimes get it wrong and a small proportion of the claims are avoidable."

Police compensation adds up to £137,000 (icBerkshire.co.uk, 6 April 2006)