£500k bill for police told to stay at home

SUSPENDED officers at Cleveland Police were paid just under half a million pounds over the past five years, figures have revealed.

- By NAOMI CORRIGAN

The Taxpayers' Alliance (TPA) said it was 'gobsmacking' that a Freedom of Information request showed that the total cost of wages for the 58 officers who had been suspended from the force over the past five years was £499,500.

There are 13 cops currently suspended from duty, which cost taxpayers £34,500 over the course of 2024.

Benjamin Elks, grassroots development manager at the TPA, said: "Taxpayers will be gobsmacked by the enormous bill for suspended police officers. With budgets under pressure, the law abiding public can't afford to be paying for PCs not on the beat.