Police force pays out £400k in injury compensation

Posted: August 25, 2014

Posted in: Car Accidents Public Place Accidents Workplace Injuries 

New figures have revealed that Norfolk Police Force has paid out a total of £400,000 in compensation to the public and its own staff. The figures were obtained through a Freedom of Information request, showing the force to be in the top five emergency services for payouts. The figures further revealed the force to be the second highest paying police force, behind the Met in London.

Of the £400,000 paid-out, the highest sum was £160,000 to an officer who suffered personal injuries in a car accident.  This was only one of the forty-eight successful claims made against the force. In total, it was found that the county’s emergency services paid out around £10m in compensation during last year alone.

Lessons are learned from each claim

Despite accusations of “careless” spending on “spurious claims” from the Taxpayers Alliance, the force issued a statement defending the payouts and their general duty of care. The statement read: “When a claim for compensation is received, it is investigated by our Legal Services team who assess liability and, if appropriate, compensation.  Compensation payments are calculated on the basis of legislation, case law and judicial guidelines.”

The force argued that during this specific year they were faced with two high value motor claims, which greatly affected the total amount paid out to claimants.  It was also mentioned that lessons are learned from each individual claim, which prevent accidents from repeating themselves.

If you have suffered an injury at work, and are looking to claim compensation, please contact us. 

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