Nottinghamshire Police force has paid out £446,499 in compensation to injured officers and civilian workers in the last five years, according to recently published figures.
Figures show that 43 successful claims were entered between 2007 and 2012, including one member of staff receiving £8,000 in compensation after tripping over a pile of paper.
The figures, published by the force in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, revealed other payouts included £16,610 to an officer who was hurt tripping over blankets while catching a criminal and £18,400 to an employee who fell off a chair and injured their back.
Furthermore, one worker received £10,615 when they were burnt by boiling water and another got £4,450 for slipping on an empty bottle in a car park.
However, the biggest payout was £43,000 for an employee who slipped on ice in a loading bay and injured their back.
Commenting on the figures, Mark Spencer, Conservative MP for Sherwood, where the headquarters of Notts Police is based, said:
“We have lost the plot in terms of what we think it is acceptable to claim for.”
However, Chairman of the Notts branch of the Police Federation, Phil Matthews, defended the right of officers to make claims, highlighting that the figures published do not reveal the extent of injuries in each case.
He said:
“There are more to all of these claims than are in the document. You do not get thousands of pounds because you have tripped over something – you get it because you have suffered a serious injury.”
Malcolm Turner, Police Deputy Head of Legal Services, commented:
“While some incidents may apparently seem to be trivial, the consequences which might flow from them can, on occasion, be very significant.
“Claims are handled in-house and all are carefully scrutinised to ensure compensation is only paid in cases where that is appropriate and the amounts paid are in line with the guidance issued by the Judicial College.”
