By Stephen Hudson. Last Updated 08/10/2025. Police put their lives on the line every day by willingly walking into dangerous situations to keep the public safe. These perilous circumstances can range from a police officer disarming an armed criminal to containing hostile environments such as riots. Often, police officers will be injured due to the nature of the job; however, sometimes officers will be injured at work, and the police force is at fault. If this has happened to you, you might be entitled to police accident at work compensation. We can help you secure personal injury compensation.
At Legal Expert, our specialist solicitors provide their legal services on a No Win No Fee basis. Backed by decades of collective hands-on experience and honed expertise, our solicitors have helped people just like you up and down the country. To get the support you need from one of our solicitors, speak to an advisor who can offer you a free consultation to discuss police officer injury compensation.
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Let’s Answer Those Burning Questions
- What injuries can a police officer suffer due to employer negligence? Injuries of this nature can range from whiplash due to a lack of driving training to severe psychological distress due to a lack of mental health support.
- What should I do if I’ve had a police accident at work? Report the accident to your line manager as quickly as possible and seek professional legal help immediately.
- What can cause accidents in the police force? Accidents can be caused by a variety of reasons, including but not limited to faulty equipment and inadequate risk assessments.
- How much compensation could I get? The amount of compensation you may receive is determined by the severity of your injury and whether you have incurred financial losses.
- Can I sue for emotional distress? Yes, you can be compensated for both physical and psychological injuries.
Defining And Reporting Police Service Accidents At Work
There is no denying that working as a police officer is a high-risk job. The physical demands of this role mean that police officers could end up suffering injuries caused in the likes of assaults, road traffic accidents, and scenarios whereby they are pursuing suspects. There are a number of rules and regulations in place when it comes to police federation injury on duty incidents. As per sub-clause 4 of Regulation 6 of the Police Regulations 2006, the following steps must be taken if you have been injured while working for the police:
- You need to report the accident to your line manager as soon as possible
- You need to make sure that all accidents and incidents, including minor injuries, are logged into the Police Force’s reporting system
- You could get a relative or a friend to do this for you if you are not in a position to do so yourself because of your injury
- You need to report your injury to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) within 15 days if your accident has meant you have been off work or unable to perform your normal duties for seven consecutive days
- You should ask your line manager to complete a RIDDOR report online if you have been involved in an accident
Police Force Health And Safety In The Workplace
Just because working for the police is a risky job does not mean that anyone injured should have no support with an incident that happens. Steps should be taken to ensure that your work life is as safe as possible. The Police (Health and Safety) Act 1997 was introduced to ensure there was health and safety legislation specifically for the police so that they were protected. If this law has not been followed, you can make accident at work claims against the police. We could provide lawyers that are experienced in securing compensation for police officers injured on duty.
How Long Do I Have To Make A Police Accident At Work Compensation Claim?
When seeking police accident at work compensation, there is usually a three-year time limit for starting your case, as established by the Limitation Act 1980. This time limit typically begins from the date you were injured while at work. Under exceptional circumstances, the time limit can work differently:
- If the injured party lacks the mental capacity to make their own accident at work claim against a police service, then the limitation period is suspended indefinitely. A litigation friend could make a claim instead on the injured person’s behalf. The time limit will apply, however, if the injured party recovers their mental capacity and a claim hasn’t already been made, they can claim independently. In such cases, the time limit starts from the day of recovery.
- If the injured party is under the age of 18 and they were hurt while working in a volunteer police cadet programme or a similar role, then the time limit will not start immediately. It will instead start on the day that the injured party turns 18. From that point, the injured individual will have 3 years to start their own claim. Alternatively, a litigation friend could claim on the injured party’s behalf before their 18th birthday.
If you have any questions regarding your eligibility to start an accident at work claim or how much police compensation payouts in the UK can be worth, contact our advisors today.
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Injury Risks For Members Of The Police
In the upcoming sections, we are going to take a look at some of the most common accidents and injuries that could result in police accident at work claims. If you cannot find the injury you have suffered, don’t panic – you may be able to still claim. The examples we have provided are simply common potential accidents for police accident at work claims.
Police Officer Assaults On Duty
Sadly, police officers can and are assaulted in the course of dispensing their duties. You may be wondering whether police accident at work claims can be made for situations like this. You certainly could be able to, especially if everything has not been done to protect this situation from happening. There are lots of campaigns out there for tougher sentences for people that assault police offers, with Protect The Protectors being a prime example.
Injuries Caused By A Lack Of Training
We could also help people to make police accident at work claims for a lack of training. It goes without saying that you cannot simply walk into the Met and secure a job without the necessary training. Therefore, if you have been instructed to do something that you do not have the right level of training for, and you have been injured, you may be able to make a claim.
Injuries Caused By Insufficient Personal Protective Equipment
Depending on the job you have or the task you were carrying out, you could be required to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). This could be anything from a bulletproof vest to eye-safety goggles, depending on the work you are carrying out. If you have not been given the right PPE, and you have been injured, you might be able to make a claim.
Examples Of Injuries Which Could Happen To A Police Service Employee
Finally, there are a number of different types of accidents and injuries that could happen to someone working as a police employee. This could be injuries caused because of a lack of personal protection equipment, for example, or inadequate training. Some of the common injuries that could be sustained and result in police accident at work claims are as follows:
- Whiplash
- Back injuries
- Mental Health conditions
- Fractures
- Limb/joint injury
- Disfigurement
- Injuries to the teeth and mouth
- Scarring
- Weapon injuries
- Paralysis
- Nerve damage
- Neck and shoulder injuries
- Muscle damage
- Crush injury
- Lacerations, cuts, and burns
- Injury to the head/brain
- Concussion
- Sight loss/impairment
- Limb amputation
Police Injury On Duty Compensation Claims Calculator
When it comes to police accident at work claims, compensation is calculated on an individual basis. This means your case should be assessed and an amount should be awarded accordingly, rather than there just being a set list of compensation payouts. The best way, therefore, to get an understanding of how much compensation you may get is to look at the payouts for police accident at work claims according to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). We have provided this information in the table below. We want to clarify that the first figure has not been sourced from the JCG, and we encourage you to use our table as a guide only.
However, please note that if the Police officer is making the claim against the Police force, the way compensation is calculated could be different.
You may have seen a personal injury claims calculator online that offers to calculate a compensation amount. However, we decided on this page to use the guideline amounts to give you an idea of what your payout could fall into. If you have any queries about the sort of payout you may receive, please do not hesitate to give us a phone call.
| Injury Type | Severity Of Injury | Compensation Bracket |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple serious injuries plus special damages | Serious | Up to £1,000,000+ |
| Brain Injury | Very Severe | £344,150 to £493,000 |
| Arm Injury | Severe Injuries | £117,360 to £159,770 |
| Psychological Damage | Severe | £66,920 to £141,240 |
| Moderately Severe | £23,270 to £66,920 | |
| Hand Injury | Serious | £35,390 to £75,550 |
| Post Traumatic Stress Disorder | Moderately Severe | £28,250 to £73,050 |
| Eye Injury | Complete Loss of Sight in One Eye | £60,130 to £66,920 |
| Neck Injury | Moderate (i) | £30,500 to £46,970 |
| Facial Scarring | Significant Scarring | £11,120 to £36,720 |
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No Win No Fee Police Accident At Work Compensation Claims
One of the reasons why Legal Expert is the preferred choice for so many is because we offer a no win no fee service. You may have heard of this term before, but you may not be sure of what it means if you have never used a legal service like this before. If we should not secure compensation for you, you wouldn’t pay lawyer’s fees. This will give you complete peace of mind. You wouldn’t have to fear that making a claim will leave you out of pocket, and you wouldn’t need any money to start your case.
We only work on a no win no fee basis. This is extremely beneficial for you for many different reasons. First and foremost, you will not need any money to begin your claim. Moreover, the financial risk that is associated with using a traditional personal injury lawyer is eliminated. This ensures you benefit from a better level of service. And, what’s more, you can be certain that we will only take on your case if we believe you have a realistic chance of getting compensation. We won’t waste your time.
If you still have doubts about our service, why not take a look at the customer reviews on our website? You will see that we have an impeccable reputation in the industry.
If you have any questions about police accident at work claims, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us for more information. There are many different ways you can contact our team. You can call our helpline on 0800 073 8804. Or, you can leave your details as well as stating the best time for us to call you, and we will ring you back. We also have a live chat feature on our website.
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Related Accident At Work Resources
Armed forces and military claims – Our guidelines on this type of claim.
Medical negligence in the armed forces – More about medical negligence for the armed forces.
Thank you for considering our guide on police accident at work compensation.