Police worker was paid £120,000 over 'bruise'

A West Midlands Police worker got paid £120,516 compensation for a "bruise", according to new figures.

The force, which is facing £126 million of cuts, was criticised today as "bonkers" for making the payout.

Bosses said the details of the bruise case, released under the Freedom of Information Act, did not take into account the complexities of injuries. They insisted today injuries that might initially be recorded as minor but can go on to cause long term pain and damage to the victim.

Across England and Wales police paid a total of £12 million to injured staff in compensation since 2006. The largest single settlement was £550,000 paid by Hertfordshire Police to a worker who suffered chronic pain syndrome after breaking their elbow slipping on ice.

West Midlands Police spokesman Catherine Hickman said: "We do have liability insurance in place which operates in respect of compensation claims made as a result of injury."

She refused to reveal details of the case involving the bruise, other than to say "payments are often more complex than statistics suggest."

West Midlands Police says compensation payouts are only made following the assessment of appropriate medical evidence by its in-house legal team, insurers and solicitors who then make a recommendation.

Emma Boon, from the Taxpayers' Alliance, said: "The growing compensation culture is partly responsible for many of these bonkers payouts. Police forces should fight questionable claims so money isn't diverted away from the front line. Many of these incidents look trivial."