COPS' pounds 37M BONUSES.. FOR DOING THEIR JOBS; Fury after we reveal payouts.

Byline: JON KAILA

POLICE forces were blasted last night after a Mirror investigation revealed officers got pounds 37million a year bonuses.

The cash, paid on top of wages for "demanding, unpleasant or important" jobs, could be used to hire an extra 1,850 constables a year.

Payments include: pounds 100 for going to a road accident, pounds 150 for handling a body, pounds 100 for passing exams, pounds 100 for tutoring another officer, pounds 200 for help in training, pounds 100 to pounds 300 for "unpleasant or disturbing incidents" and pounds 500 for demanding a disciplinary probe.

One officer was paid an extra pounds 250 for covering duties on the custody desk and an inspector got pounds 500 for what was vaguely listed as "important work".

Matthew Elliott of the TaxPayers' Alliance said: "We shouldn't have to pay millions extra just to get core policing done."

And the Unison union said it was not "right or fair" to reward officers for "simply doing their job." Their spokesman added: "The ambulance and fire services deal with dreadful accidents daily and do not get any additional reward."

Bonuses were introduced in 2002. Last year 53,474 of the 133,632 officers in England got some payout. West Midlands Police was the most generous of forces who replied to our freedom of information request.

They splashed out pounds 6m. Kent paid pounds 4.5m followed by Northumbria with pounds 4.3m.

Thames Valley handed out pounds 296,447 just for officers to be "on call." Police sources claim some officers are receiving thousands extra.

One received pounds 150 for good attendance. And Suffolk Police paid out pounds 15,775 to officers investigating the Ipswich serial killer.

And it's not just police who receive cash. Cleaners have received pounds 100 if they had to clear up sick in cells.

The Police Federation represents rank and file officers. Chief Paul McKeever said: "The system is divisive. It would be best to abolish bonuses and ensure fair national pay."

But the Association of Chief Police Officers said: "Officers should be rewarded appropriately for skills and contributions they make to delivering quality policing."