£1.2m Midlands police bill for informants
Police across the region spent more than £1.2 million on informants in three years, it can be revealed today.
West Mercia Police spent £127,018, according to figures released through the Freedom of Information Act. In Staffordshire, police spent £305,260 and in the West Midlands £850,976, creating a combined bill of £1,283,254.
Senior police officers today defended the bill, saying informants are sometimes the only means to crack down on serious organised crime and terrorism.
They say there are strict controls, laid out in law, on payments to such sources.
Sarah Buxton, spokeswoman for West Mercia Police, said: "Informants play a vital part in bringing offenders to justice and are a valuable source of intelligence.
"They often help to speed up an investigation, resulting in significant cost and time savings, which can then be passed on to the communities West Mercia Police serves.
"However, the use of sources is not undertaken lightly. They are only used in situations where they have been identified as being the most effective way of obtaining particular information that is deemed essential to an investigation."
None of the forces would today release the amounts paid to individuals, nor the convictions their information helped to secure, for fear of identifying their sources and exposing them to potential recrimination attacks.
Staffordshire Detective Superintendent Wayne Jones today said: "The use of and recruitment of informants is a legitimate and closely-regulated police tactic, in particular in cases involving serous and organised crime, terrorism and other serious offences that cause the public serious risk of harm and financial loss."
The West Midlands force initially refused to confirm if it held the data but released its expenses for the past three years after being asked to review its original reply.
Carl Bird, from the West Midlands force's information services, said: "By its very nature information held relating to informants is sensitive in nature. In some cases, it is that confirmation, or not, could disclose facts harmful to informants.
"In some cases the mere existence can place individuals in grave danger."
