Derbyshire police spend £450,000 on suspended staff salaries

Data revealed in a Freedom of Information request shows the force has spent £447,633 over the last five years on suspended salaries.

Of this £315,849 was on suspended cops and the remaining £131,784 was on general policing staff. The figures cover the five years to April 2023.

But a spokesperson for police said the force was legally required to maintain the pay of suspended officers – despite police misconduct procedures often ‘take protracted periods to conclude’.

The figures show that the most expensive year for taxpayers was 2021/22 when £149,563 was spent on suspended staff salaries.

In total 29 members of Derbyshire police staff were suspended over the five year period: of which 11 were police constables.

When asked if the figure represents fair value for money for taxpayers - who fund the police via council tax – a spokesperson for Derbyshire Constabulary said: “The suspension of officers occurs only in the most serious of cases, which can by their very nature take protracted periods to conclude. This is especially true when allegations of criminal conduct occur, which involves the court process.

“In all cases that result in the suspension of a police officer, pay is explicitly determined by the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020 which instructs that pay is maintained.

“For police staff, the formal misconduct procedure is guided by the Police Staff Council Standards of Professional Behaviour which mirrors the regulations for police officers.”