New figures just released, revealed that Yorkshire’s police forces have paid out over £2 million in compensation in the last three years to people involved in accidents with speeding police cars.

The figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act showed that West Yorkshire Police had made the largest payout totalling £900,000. South Yorkshire Police’s compensation costs totalled £651,000. Humberside Police paid out £500,000 and North Yorkshire paid the least with £230,000.

The compensation was paid out for injuries to drivers and also for damage to their vehicles. One beneficiary of this compensation was Angela Singh. She was involved in an accident with a police car in Leeds. Mrs Singh was driving with her two young sons when a police car speeding through a red traffic light, hit them. Her eldest son Gorave needed 35 stitches and his brother suffered cuts and bruises. She won compensation after suing the local police force.

Since 2002 there have been 71 cases in West Yorkshire where police vehicles have been caught speeding but the officers driving have not been identified. A spokesman for the force said that police drivers were specially trained and that the force did not ‘turn a blind eye’ when officers had broken the law, but in most cases police officers were just doing their job. He added that despite investigations, the drivers of 13 police vehicles caught speeding last year had not been traced. In South Yorkshire there were 26 cases of police vehicles caught speeding between 2003 and 2006.

One such police officer who was caught speeding was appropriately punished. Officer David Mayes was caught doing a thumps-up sign to a speed camera whilst driving 73mph in a 40mph zone. He was banned from driving for 6 months and fined £400.

South Yorkshire’s chief constable Meredydd Hughes was himself banned from driving in December 2007. He was caught on a speed camera doing 90mph in a 60mph zone six months previous and was banned from driving for 42 days and fined £350 at Wrexham Magistrates court.

A recent Police Complaints Authority (PCA) report has highlighted the growing number of fatal road accidents involving police cars. 20 year old Neil Homer was killed by a police car that sped through a red traffic light at 100mph, chasing a stolen vehicle. Mr Homer was driving across the junction and the police car smashed into him. The passenger of the police car was also killed.

The PCA is urging officers to better assess the risks before using excessive speed.