Compensation for unlawful forced entry 773/2024

FOI Reference: 773/2024

Request:

1. Please tell me for the financial years a) 2021/22, b) 2022/23, and c) 2023/24 on how many occasions your police force has made compensation orex gratiapayments to individuals whose properties have been damaged during a forced entry that was unlawful (either because the wrong address was raided or because a warrant had not been secured).

2. For a) 2021/22, b) 2022/23, and c) 2023/24 please tell me the total amount of compensation and ex gratia payments paid out to individuals following an unlawful forced entry. Please break down for each year the amount corresponding to compensation payments and the amount attributable to legal costs.

3. Please state the FIVE biggest amounts settled over this three-year period, stating how much corresponded to legal costs and how much corresponded to compensation in each case and the financial year in which it was settled. In addition, please give a brief summary of the circumstances that led to the compensation payment in each of the three cases without revealing personal details, e.g., “officers broke down the door at number 25a when the warrant was for 25b”.

NOTE: In all cases, I am referring to the year in which the claim was settled, not the year the incident happened or the year the claim was lodged.                                             

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Section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 places two duties on public authorities. Unless exemptions apply, the first duty at Section 1(1)(a) is to confirm or deny whether the information specified in a request is held. The second duty at Section 1(1)(b) is to disclose information that has been confirmed as being held.

I can confirm that the following information is held:

Response Q1

FY 2021 – 2022 = Nil

FY 2022 – 2023 = Two

FY 2023 – 2024 = One

Response Q2

FY 2021 – 2022 = £0.00

FY 2022 – 2023 = £1,040.30 Damages only payments. No Legal costs.

FY 2023 – 2024 = £3,515.04

£1,200.00 – Damages

£2,315.04 – Legal costs

Response Q3

FY 2022 – 2023  

£116.00 – Damages - Wrong address

£924.30 – Damages - Wrong address

FY 2023 – 2024

£1,200.00 Damages - Wrong address

£2,315.04 Legal costs.

 

(This is a response under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and disclosed on 20/08/2024)