In the last three years South Yorkshire Police cars have been involved in over 1000 crashes, according to the local press.
Around £750,000 in compensation payouts have followed as a result of the accidents, which often involve members of the public who are either injured or have property damaged.
The figures show that since April 2008, 1,152 accidents have led to £721,150 compensation being paid out, with 214 people suffering injuries.
The police, however, have not been idle in establishing the cause of the accidents, and have disciplined four of their own officers, with another two under investigation.
Neil Bowles of the South Yorkshire Police Authority said that when the amount of crashes was compared to the miles travelled by police vehicles, the number was low.
He went on to say the force has 750 vehicles which collectively accumulated around 12 million miles per year.
Bob Dyson of the South Yorkshire Police said: “Police drivers receive a high standard of training to respond quickly and safely to emergencies. But unfortunately accidents can happen due to the nature of an officer’s duty.
“South Yorkshire Police has an internal claims fund to compensate members of the public involved in collisions.”
Robert Oxley of the Taxpayers’ Alliance said: “Taxpayers can’t afford repeated repair bills for patrol cars that look more like rally cars.
“Policing is a job that will often mean driving fast with blue lights blazing, so some damage will happen in the line of duty now and then.
“However, drivers of police vehicles are often highly trained and should do all they can to keep the number and cost of prangs to a minimum.”
Mr Bowles said: “All police road traffic collisions are treated very seriously, let alone if some cause casualties and all are investigated by a supervisory officer.
“All police drivers are highly trained, both initially and throughout their careers. I believe all police drivers take their duties and responsibilities extremely professionally.”
