Emergency police cars given to civilian staff - BBC News
Seven police forces in England have given company cars with blue lights and sirens to civilian staff not trained to use them, the BBC has learned. BBC News sent Freedom of Information requests to all 45 UK forces, asking them if they had provided civilian staff with cars fitted with emergency response equipment, and received responses from all. 'Not qualified' The seven forces which said they had were Devon and Cornwall, Merseyside, Humberside, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Avon and Somerset, and Greater Manchester Police. In addition, West Mercia and Warwickshire Police said they used to jointly pay for a car for a "director of enabling services", but no longer did so. None of the vehicles had been used in an emergency, and the drivers of the vehicles were not... South Yorkshire and Humberside Police were the only forces to say they provided two senior civilian staff with vehicles. In a statement to the BBC, South Yorkshire's Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Billings said the scheme pre-dated the appointment of police and crime commissioners. Responses by force The BBC sent Freedom of Information requests to all 45 police forces in the UK. All responded. Source: www.bbc.co.uk
