Police officers in England and Wales have access to a record £12m annual budget for legal support when accused of serious crimes or misconduct, openDemocracy can reveal.
The 2023 legal budget of the Police Federation, obtained under FOI, is roughly 25% more than the amount it spent on legal fees in 2018 (£9,403,200), and is the highest figure since it started tracking its legal spending in 2017.
While the federation did not provide a complete breakdown of how that money is spent, it can be used to deal with the hundreds of claims for legal support it receives from officers accused of crimes, including sexual offences. Last year the budget was £11.3m and there were 1,387 claims for assistance related to criminal allegations against officers.
