The Bill gets larger as disability claims rise

Nigel Green

Seven times as many police officers are bringing disability discrimination cases against their forces as five years ago, according to figures released under the Freedom of Information Act.

Disability discrimination cases also account for more than a third of all tribunals brought against police forces and are estimated to have cost taxpayers more than £3.4 million over the last five years, of which £2 million was accounted for in the last year alone.

The rise is partly due to new laws that have made it easier for police officers to bring claims. In 2004, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 was amended to cover the police.

But Scott Westbrook, Pres­ident of the National Disabled Police Association, also puts it down to modern­isation and the increased employment of police officers who have suffered injuries.

“Forces want to reduce bureaucracy and get more police officers back out on the streets,” he said. “I have no problem with that, but in some cases, it’s like a witch-hunt to see who they can kick out of the job.

“They’re not looking at the impact this is having on the workforce. That’s why the number of employment tribunals has gone up.”

The figures were released as part of a survey of all 51 forces in England, Scotland and Wales. This found that the number of tribunals brought against forces in the UK went up from 248 in 2003 to 405 last year.

But several forces failed to give year-by-year breakdowns and a quarter of all forces refused to reveal figures on pay-outs and legal costs, apparently out of fear of breaching confidentiality agreements on individual settlements.

Of those forces that did supply figures, the number of cases brought on grounds of disability discrimination rose from 22 in 2003 to 148 in 2008. In the same period, race-related claims rose from 43 to 62 and sexual discrimination claims fell from 82 to 79.

Matthew Elliott, Chief Executive of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: “It’s shocking that so many police forces have been unwilling to obey the law on Freedom of Information.

“This is taxpayers’ money and we have a right to see how it is being spent: police forces cannot simply decide to ignore the law.”

Mr Elliott added: “Senior management of every police force must focus on working with officers who have disab­ilities, rather than simply trying to buy them off.”

Asked if some officers used the Disability Discrimination Act as an excuse to seek an easier role or compensation, Sgt Westbrook said: “I don’t think officers are abusing this Act. You’ll always have the odd bad egg who’ll try to use their difference to get an advantage but they are few and far between.”

Sgt Westbrook, who has osteoarthritis and works as a custody officer for the Met, declined to name the forces he considered the worst offenders but said: “Hampshire is a good force because it looks at what people can do rather than what they can’t.

“They seem to value the experience and recognise its value. They don’t want to waste their resources.”

A spokeswoman for the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) said: “There are several reasons why claims may be increasing and we are working with forces so that internal disputes can be rectified quickly, whilst ensuring that the welfare of the officer or member of staff is upheld.”

Paying the Bill since 2003

Metropolitan Police: 52 cases costing £255k

Greater Manchester: 25 cases costing £148k

West Midlands: 29 cases costing £237k

Essex: 11 cases costing £178k

South Wales: 19 cases costing £197k

Avon and Somerset: 11 cases costing £182k