Suspended police officers cost taxpayers £60m a year to sit at home

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The current figure is £2.9 million higher than the £56.8 million recorded in March 2025

Police officers suspended from duty while continuing to receive their full salaries are costing taxpayers nearly £60million a year, with figures showing forces spending more than £163,000 every day to support officers barred from work.

Some 750 officers are currently suspended over alleged misconduct nationwide, with an average cost of £79,552 per officer, and the total annual bill reaching a whopping £59.7million - equivalent to almost £1.15million a week.

The current figure, revealed by the Daily Mail, is £2.9million higher than the £56.8million recorded in March 2025 - despite the number of suspended officers falling over the same period.

The increase has been attributed partly to a rise in Employer National Insurance contributions in April last year, while police officers also received a widespread 4.2 per cent pay increase in September 2025.

A rise in the number of senior officers being suspended has also pushed up the overall cost, as higher-ranking staff naturally receive larger salaries.

There are now 38 inspectors and 11 chief inspectors suspended, compared with 34 and nine respectively a year prior.

Those ranks can each see staff earn up to £74,310 annually while covered by the taxpayer upon suspension.

The majority of suspended officers were revealed to be constables, numbering 574, while a further 115 are sergeants.

Four chief officers, at the rank of assistant chief constable or above, are also currently suspended.

The Metropolitan Police has the largest number of suspended officers with 179, followed by Greater Manchester Police with 82 and the West Midlands with 52.

Rounding out the top five are Lancashire with 29 suspended officers, and Kent with 28.

There were just 124 suspended officers in 2021, and 225 in 2022, before police forces intensified efforts to tackle misconduct.

Some cases take years to resolve, meaning officers can remain on full pay while disciplinary proceedings and appeals continue.

Those who are eventually cleared may return to work, while those dismissed for misconduct generally retain the salaries they received during suspension, and their accrued pension rights.

One of the most costly cases involved former Metropolitan Police Detective Inspector Warren Arter, who spent seven years suspended while receiving around £400,000 in wages before being dismissed.

The latest annual £59.7million total includes about £40million in salaries, £14.1million in employer contributions to the police pension scheme, and £5.4million in National Insurance costs.

However, the true cost is likely to be higher, as the figures exclude London weighting, overtime and other allowances.

Callum McGoldrick, investigations campaign manager at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said taxpayers would be “furious” about millions being paid to suspended officers, and called for disciplinary processes to be completed more quickly.

The Home Office said it expects police misconduct to be dealt with swiftly, and officers who fall short of the required standards to be removed from policing.

The department has also launched an independent, end-to-end review of the police accountability system, aimed at ensuring it retains the confidence of both the public and police.