Cop car crash cash toll

CRASHES involving South Yorkshire police cars have cost the force £720,000 in the past three years, the Advertiser can reveal.

CRASHES involving South Yorkshire Police cars have cost the force a staggering £720,000 in the past three years, the Advertiser can reveal.

The astonishing sum, which includes £61,000 relating to accidents in Rotherham, follows more than 1,100 accidents involving on-duty and off-duty police vehicles across the county between 2008/9 and 2010/11.

The figures, which were obtained using the Freedom of Information Act, also revealed that 42 people were injured in a total of 220 accidents in Rotherham involving police vehicles during the same period.

The county-wide total came to 214 injuries in 1,151 accidents.

Temporary Chief Constable Bob Dyson defended the force over its accident record, pointing out that accidents of different levels of severity were “likely” as the county’s 750 police vehicles covered 12 million miles a year.

Compensation paid out following accidents in Rotherham—which included sums for vehicle damage, other property damage or injuries but not any payouts still under negotiation or subject to court cases—came to £15,532 in 2008/9, £23,202 in 2009/10 and £23,084 in 2010/11.

Across South Yorkshire, the totals for the same years were £285,896, £269,785 and £175,828.

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A police spokesman said: “The figures shown as compensation are for the amounts actually paid to third parties and could include vehicle damage, other property damage, for example to a garden wall, or bodily injury.  

“The amounts do not include reserves or estimates for claims which are still open and under negotiation or subject to court cases, and so not yet paid or not yet fully paid.”

My Dyson said: “Policing is a 24/7 occupation with officers responding to around 200 calls every day that require an immediate ‘blue light’ response.

“Police drivers receive a high standard of training to be able to respond quickly and safely to emergencies but unfortunately accidents can happen due to the nature of an officer’s duty.

“Most of our 750 vehicles are on the road every day and collectively they cover 12 million miles a year.

“This makes it likely that accidents of varying levels of severity, on or off road, can occur and South Yorkshire Police has an internal claims fund to compensate members of the public involved in collisions.”

South Yorkshire Police also revealed that four officers were disciplined for motoring offences following accidents in 2008/9 but none in 2009/10, while there were currently two investigations in process in relation to officers being disciplined or charged with motoring offences in 2010/11.