£1.5m repair bill for police cars damage

CASH-STRAPPED Police Scotland has spent more than £1.5million repairing cars crashed during emergencies in the last five years.

- BY NORMAN SILVESTER

Figures obtained by the Sunday Mail show police vehicles have been involved in 571 collisions with other motors since 2020 - with 208 involving high speed pursuits.

In 57 cases, the police car was a write-off.

In all 571 smashes, the police vehicles' emergency blue light and siren - known as blues and twos - had been activated. Officers normally apply the blue light when answering a 999 call or chasing or following a suspect.

They also act as a warning to other road users to pull in and allow them to pass.