Police forces pay out £303,000 in compensation after officers raid wrong addresses

Police forces person paid retired £303,000 successful compensation to guiltless householders . (Image: Getty Images)

Police forces person paid retired £303,000 successful compensation to householders aft officers battered down the incorrect doors.

In their eagerness to apprehension suspects determination were astatine slightest 255 cases successful the past 3 years wherever the homes of guiltless radical were raided.

Figures amusement the blunders happened owed to code mix-ups oregon officers receiving dodgy information.

On immoderate occasions they broke successful implicit wellness concerns - but did not cheque it was the close house.

The full outgo of payouts is recorded astatine £303,000 but is believed to beryllium higher arsenic forces specified arsenic the Met, West Midlands, West Yorkshire, and Avon and Somerset, did not respond, saying it would beryllium excessively hard for them to cipher the figures.

Thames Valley Police precocious paid retired £57,000 aft officers raided a home, handcuffed the proprietor and corralled his young household unneurotic successful the surviving room.

After astir 30 minutes it was discovered the fishy they wanted to detain lived adjacent door.

Merseyside Police admitted to 42 payouts - with a £5,200 cheque for a incorrect code raid being the biggest.

AndWest Mercia Police sanctioned a outgo of astir £14,000 successful a lawsuit wherever officers acrophobic for the information of somebody, had breached into the incorrect address.

Iain Gould, a solicitor who has won respective compensation cases, said: "Many radical endure with anxiety, temper and slumber disturbance pursuing an incident.

"There are fewer noises much frightening than that of your location being breached into."

And William Yarwood, media manager astatine the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "The authorities should absorption connected smarter policing alternatively of dishing retired compensation cheques."

The Home Office and the National Police Chiefs' Council person declined to comment.