ARMED AND LOADED; pounds 2 million bonuses for police in dangerous jobs.

Byline: TOM WELLS

COPS in the Midlands picked up an amazing TWO MILLION pounds in special perks last year. The jackpot pay-outs were awarded to officers ranging from humble PCs to chief inspectors.

West Midlands Police claim the Special Priority Payments (SPPs) will lead to a better and more motivated force.

But the massive awards - enough to pay for 85 newly-trained recruits - have been attacked by critics who say the money could be better spent elsewhere.

Sir Keith Povey, Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary, described them as 'divisive' and inappropriate in a hard-hitting report to then-Home Secretary David Blunkett.

Last October, we revealed how the force was also rewarding police officers for performing unpleasant duties, such as taking fingerprints from dead bodies.

And the separate incentive schemegavepounds 60 to officers who had an 100 per cent attendance record over a 12-month period.

But the full extent of this bonus scheme has not emerged until now.

At a meeting of the force's personnel committee last Thursday, the huge scale of the hand-outs was laid bare.

The SPPs are enjoyed by 40 per cent of the 8,000 rank-and-file officers with West Midlands Police and in 2004, a total of more than pounds 2,125,000 in SPPs was paid out.

They are paid for extra responsibilities, roles which suffer from poor recruitment and tough jobs.

Detective Chief Inspectors working in the force's Crime Support division, which includes the Murder Investigation Unit and Special Branch, landed up to pounds 2,000 each.

The other big winners in the scheme were firearms cops who picked up pay-outs of up to pounds 1,600 each.

At the other end of the scale, PCs on '24/7' beats with the Traffic Unit or Motorway Policenotched up paltry payments of just pounds 500. But according to forecasted figures, the total sum paid out in SPPs could rise to nearly FOUR MILLION pounds this year.

The pounds 3.7 million figure - enough to pay for 148 new recruits - was included in the predicted SPP budget for West Midlands Police in 2005.Top tier payments could rise to pounds 2,400After the scheme was launched in May 2002, leaders of rank-and-file officers described it as good news for their members. Inspector Colin Murphy,deputychairman of the West Midlands branch of the Police Federation, told the Mercury in October: 'Ultimately, these specialised payments are in the best interests of the force, its staff and the community it serves.

'We need a properly trained, properly equipped and properly remunerated police service.'

Coun Les Jones, Conservative parliamentarycandidate for Halesowen & Rowley Regis, and a member of West Midlands Police Authority, said: 'I want more officers on the beat, but if people go the extra mile - especially in public service - they should be rewarded.'

A West Midlands Police spokeswoman said: 'The payments, as part of a national scheme, recognise the work of highly-trained and experienced officers whose work is often dangerous and presents them with many challenges to ensure people are safe in the places where they live and work.

'The majority of those who benefit from Special Priority Payments are community beat officers who work a shift pattern, 24 hours a day and seven days a week, and officers who directly support frontline policing.

'These incentives support our delivery of policing within the West Midlands as they reward those who face the most difficult challenges

CAPTION(S):

EXTRA CASH: firearms police pick up pounds 1,600 bonus