Criminal damage to police vehicles across the UK has cost more than £2million over the past three years, according to staggering new research.
The new data suggests that police forces are facing mounting financial pressure from vandalism incidents targeting their fleets.
Criminal damage to police vehicles across the UK has cost a staggering £2.2million over the past three years, according to new research.
The new data suggests that police forces are facing mounting financial pressure from vandalism incidents targeting their fleets.
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Many police forces do not separately categorise criminal damage from other types of vehicle repairs in their accounting systems.
This makes it difficult to assess the full extent of deliberate damage to police vehicles nationwide.
The rising repair bills represent a growing burden on police budgets already stretched thin by other operational demands.
West Yorkshire Police has been particularly affected by these costs, with a fleet of more than 900 vehicles suffering £716,981 in criminal damage between 2021 and 2024.
The force's extensive fleet covers everything from safeguarding units to off-road motorcycles.
Graham Conway, managing director at Select Fleet Solutions, said: "It's reasonable to expect police vehicles to suffer damage as a result of accidents and collisions.
"But what's not acceptable are the enormous costs having to be shouldered by police forces as a result of vandalism and criminal damage to fleets."
He described incidents including "windows being smashed, paintwork being ruined, wing mirrors being ripped off and tyres slashed."
Conway warned: "The figures reported here are just the tip of the iceberg. The overall picture is likely much, much worse."
He noted the FOI statistics don't cover the summer 2024 riots "with police cars overturned and marked vans set on fire" which will have sent "criminal damage costs sky-rocketing."
Meanwhile, West Mercia Police, which serves Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin, faced a £433,000 bill for vehicle vandalism over the same period. This includes £55,090 worth of damage costs in 2024 alone.
West Mercia has seen a marked increase in criminal damage costs, rising from £116,344 in 2021-22 to £149,723 in 2023-24.
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The new data suggests that police forces are facing mounting financial pressure from vandalism incidents targeting their fleets.
Criminal damage to police vehicles across the UK has cost a staggering £2.2million over the past three years, according to new research.
The new data suggests that police forces are facing mounting financial pressure from vandalism incidents targeting their fleets.
Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]
Many police forces do not separately categorise criminal damage from other types of vehicle repairs in their accounting systems.
This makes it difficult to assess the full extent of deliberate damage to police vehicles nationwide.
The rising repair bills represent a growing burden on police budgets already stretched thin by other operational demands.
West Yorkshire Police has been particularly affected by these costs, with a fleet of more than 900 vehicles suffering £716,981 in criminal damage between 2021 and 2024.
The force's extensive fleet covers everything from safeguarding units to off-road motorcycles.
Graham Conway, managing director at Select Fleet Solutions, said: "It's reasonable to expect police vehicles to suffer damage as a result of accidents and collisions.
"But what's not acceptable are the enormous costs having to be shouldered by police forces as a result of vandalism and criminal damage to fleets."
He described incidents including "windows being smashed, paintwork being ruined, wing mirrors being ripped off and tyres slashed."
Conway warned: "The figures reported here are just the tip of the iceberg. The overall picture is likely much, much worse."
He noted the FOI statistics don't cover the summer 2024 riots "with police cars overturned and marked vans set on fire" which will have sent "criminal damage costs sky-rocketing."
Meanwhile, West Mercia Police, which serves Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin, faced a £433,000 bill for vehicle vandalism over the same period. This includes £55,090 worth of damage costs in 2024 alone.
West Mercia has seen a marked increase in criminal damage costs, rising from £116,344 in 2021-22 to £149,723 in 2023-24.
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Cost of criminal damage by UK police force between 2021 and 2024
- West Yorkshire Police - £716,981
- West Mercia Police - £433,000
- Police Scotland - £294,883
- Police Service of Northern Ireland - £244,160
- Kent Police - £128,319
- Staffordshire Police - £47,618
- Bedfordshire Police, Cambridgeshire & Hertfordshire Constabularies (Joint Response) - £39,840
- Essex Police - £32,657
- Derbyshire Constabulary - £32,112
- South Wales Police - £30,698
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