POLICE officers have been paid thousands of pounds in compensation after being injured on duty.
Humberside Police has paid £63,189 to officers and staff who have been hurt. The force has also paid £136,747 in other costs, including legal fees, in the past three years.
The highest amount went to a police officer who suffered a wrist sprain after tripping on a bag, which had been left in a corridor. They received £11,450.
Others have received payouts for slipping on ice, being bitten by police dogs and stress.
One police officer is suing the force after spraining their left foot when their heel became caught in a gate as they left a car park. The claim has not been settled.
John Blanchard, chair of the Humberside Police Federation, said most officers are reasonable and will not claim for compensation unless it is necessary.
"Officers are entitled to the same protection as any other member of the public when it comes to injury," he said.
"If compensation is due, compensation is due. By the same token, I expect a level of common sense and reason.
"There is absolutely an element of risk in policing. The vast majority of officers will have had bumps, knocks, scrapes and all kinds of injuries and it won't have crossed their minds to claim.
"It is part of the rough and tumble of the job. If I had claimed for every injury I have sustained on duty, I would be a lot richer."
Figures reveal the force has received 44 compensation claims from officers and staff between January 2010 and March this year.
Of those, 16 claims have been successful and ten were rejected. The others are still ongoing. Although most claims had been brought by officers, some had been made by civilian members of staff.
Most officers will seek advice from the Police Federation, which runs its own claim line for officers.
Mr Blanchard said all cases are reviewed and evaluated by an independent solicitor to assess whether they will be successful.
"The force's insurers are very thorough and don't pay out unless there is some fault there," he said.
"We will have people come to us and, if we don't think they will be successful, we will give them a reality check.
"At the end of the day, it is our members' money and taxpayers' money that will be paid out."
However, Mr Blanchard said such claims can improve safety for other officers.
"If officers have been injured, money doesn't make it all better," he said. It is about providing some comfort, or medical appliances that are needed, and it is also about demonstrating to the force that the right health and safety measures were not in place and they can correct them."
The figures have been criticised by the Taxpayers' Alliance, which said it included "trivial claims", such as an officer receiving £1,200 for sprains after a strap broke on some portable equipment.
Andrew Allison, spokesman for the Taxpayers' Alliance in East Yorkshire, said: "There appears to be no doubt that the compensation culture in Britain is out of hand.
"Police officers should not be pursuing trivial claims such as when a strap breaks on equipment.
"Accidents like these happen every day. They should be leading by example and remember that taxpayers are picking up the bill."
The details of the compensation claims were revealed following a Mail request under the Freedom of Information Act.
The response does not reveal whether the injuries were sustained while officers were responding to call-outs or whether they were on force property.