Cops spend pounds 100s on US awards trip; POLICE: Force accused of wasting public money.

Byline: Duncan Gibbons 

POLICE have been accused of wasting public cash by jetting a civilian member of staff to an awards ceremony in America.

Warwickshire Police are spending hundreds of pounds flying Peter Guillaume to the Goldstein Awards at Disneyland, Los Angeles, this week. The force's business crime manager has been shortlisted for a prize for inventing a safe that stops thieves snatching handbags from supermarket trolleys.

Goldstein are contributing pounds 550 towards the trip but the force is paying for the flights which start at pounds 1,300. But a garden centre boss whose business has been broken into more than 30 times in 13 years says it's a waste of money.

Craig Pensom, of Ryton Nurseries, near Leamington, said: "It's disgusting that Warwickshire Police are funding anything to do with these awards. "There's no reason for him to go to America, they could quite easily give him a pat on the back while he does his job here. There's so much business crime going on in Warwickshire - I've been done 30 times and I have a friend who has been broken into four times this year."

Warwickshire Police defended the trip, saying the invention had "the potential to make a big impact" wordlwide.

A spokesman said it was a great opportunity to showcase the crime prevention work foing on in Warwickshire. "While he is in Los Angeles, Peter will have an opportunity to discuss crime prevention techniques with experts from around the world, which may prove to be of value to the people of Warwickshire." Warwickshire County Council, who were also involved in the trolley safe project, are not sending a representative, saying they "do not have a budget" for such a trip.

More than 230 trolleys at Asda in Nuneaton were fitted with the safe during a threemonth trial earlier this year.