Car crash claims cost £2m but are falling - Sussex Police

Sussex Police chief constable Jo Shiner said the numbers were on a "downward trajectory"

Sussex Police vehicles have crashed hundreds of times over the last four years, leading to insurance claims of more than £2m, figures reveal.

The data was shared by the force's chief constable, Jo Shiner, during a meeting with Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne.

Ms Shiner said crashes were damaging to the force's reputation but the numbers were on a "downward trajectory".

This was largely due to the initiatives the force had brought in, she added.

The figures revealed there had been 171 crashes during 2022/23, leading to insurance claims of more than £400,000.

That is around a 36% decrease on claims the previous year, which totalled £641,000.

In 2020/21 the total stood at £319,000 - a reduction Ms Shiner put down to the pandemic - and in 2019/20 they were £766,000.

Sussex Police has a fleet of about 1,200 vehicles.

Last year, eight vehicles were written off, at a cost of more than £95,000, which Ms Shiner said was low compared to other forces.

Ms Shiner said initiatives such as a trial in Chichester were leading to a fall in the number of crashes

Ms Shiner, who is also the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for roads policing, said claims were generally on a downward trajectory.

"Much of that is because of some of the initiatives, and particularly the governance, we've brought in," she said.

One such initiative has been a trial in Chichester, where data was collected from 10 police vehicles using telematics - computer systems that monitor how vehicles are driven using GPS technology and on-board diagnostics.

Before the trial, Ms Shiner said the vehicles monitored had been involved in six incidents.

During the time they were monitored, no incidents took place.

One area not included in the data is Tactical Pursuit and Containment (Tpac), when officers use vehicles to box in another, bringing it to a stop.

There have been 99 such incidents since 2019/20, with one vehicle being written off.

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