Police cars were wrong fuelled nearly 300 times last year with a cost of more than £50,000 in repairs. Out of the UK’s 45 police forces, 33 admitted paying for repairs after putting wrong fuel with an average cost of £178 a time. The information was released under the Freedom of Information Act.

What TaxPayers’ Alliance Had to Say?

The pressure group TaxPayers’ Alliance has described the figures as ‘staggering’. Some 299 incidents of misfuelling were recorded, costing a total of £53,337. West Midlands Police took the number one spot with 66, at a cost of £3,737.

The Met police had 49 incidents with a cost of £17,589.57 in total to repair, while Police Scotland had 16, costing £2,004.92. John O’ Connell, chief executive of TaxPayers’ Alliance said: ‘It’s staggering that such a simple mistake is being made almost daily. ‘This careless attitude shows a lack of respect for those same taxpayers who both pay their wages and are forced to pay for the repairs. ‘Millions of people manage this task with their own cars by taking a modicum of care – police officers should extend the same courtesy to their vehicles.’

What the West Midlands Police Force had to says?

West Midlands Police fleet manager Gary Mallet said mistakes increased after 2013 when the force decided to close down internal fuel sites and not use fuel keys to external fuel stations to cut costs. He said, ‘We saw a major spike in the number of misfuels in 2013-14 and addressed this by notifying users and local vehicle leads to the volume and cost of the mistake.

‘We also labeled all vehicles with the fuel type as a reminder of the correct fuel that should be used. ‘This has had a positive effect, with around a 53% reduction in the number of misfuels, but more importantly around a 90% reduction in the actual cost of repairs.

We put out regular reminders to staff, and this is continuing to have an impact on reducing the problem.

What the Met Police had to say?

A spokesman for the Met said that since 2008 its vehicles had been refueled 1.5 million times and mistakes were ‘a tiny proportion of total refueling.’ The spokesman added: ‘The MPS operates a mixed fleet of both petrol and diesel vehicles with a gradual move towards more petrol, hybrid and electric vehicles. Overall, the misfuelling rate is decreasing year on year. ‘We ensure that every vehicle has a clear indication of which fuel is required on fuel flaps and vehicle log books.’

What AA had to say?

Edmund King, AA president, said: ‘Perhaps we need a little more detective work at the pumps to ensure that the right fuel goes in the right car. Until all police cars are electric we will probably still see misfuelling problems.’ A spokesman for the National Police Chiefs’ Council said: ‘The misfuelling of police vehicles are relatively rare, especially when you consider that forces have thousands of vehicles which are in constant use and require frequent refueling.

‘Police drivers will often move from one vehicle to another depending on operational requirements, which can increase the possibility of mistakes being made. ‘Some forces are already using electronic systems which have eradicated misfuelling completely, and nationally we are implementing similar technological improvements where it is deemed to represent the best value for money.’

Essex, Kent and Sussex police forces failed to respond to the FOI request whereas Cambridgeshire refused to respond while the Police Service of Northern Ireland said it did not hold any relevant data. City of London, Durham, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and Dyfed-Powys did not misfuel any cars.