Request compensation for something the police have done

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In some situations, you might be able to claim for compensation for something the police have done that was unlawful in some way.

Compensation is unlikely to be paid if the damage or injury was caused by the police acting lawfully.

What you can apply for

You can ask the police for compensation for things like:

lost or damaged property (eg, the police took your mobile phone to get evidence from it and you didn't get it back)
forced entry (eg, the police were given the wrong address and broke down your front door by mistake)
road traffic collision (eg, while carrying out a lawful chase, a police car swerved and damaged your parked car)
wrongful arrest (eg, you believe there was no legal reason for the police to arrest you)

How to apply

You can contact us about this in one of two ways, by post or by email.

By post

Please write to:

Legal Services Department
Suffolk Constabulary
Police Headquarters
Martlesham Heath
Ipswich
Suffolk IP5 3QS

By email

Please include the following information:

your full name and contact details (including postal address, phone number and your email address, if possible)
your case or report number (if you have one) and as much information as you can provide about the incident you are claiming for (eg, date, location)
the name or shoulder/collar number of any officer, staff member or volunteer involved
your reasons for claiming compensation and the amount (even if it's only an estimate) that you are claiming

What happens after you’ve applied

We'll reply with a reference number and the name, phone number and email address of the lawyer, claims handler or other person dealing with your claim.

In some cases we may send your claim to external solicitors to handle on our behalf. In this case they will write to you with this information. From that point, please correspond with the person handling the claim, always remembering to quote your reference number.

We'll investigate any genuine claim against us and we try to resolve appropriate claims without needing to start legal proceedings. In fact, the courts expect both parties to attempt to resolve disputes without going to court.

This is why we ask you to give full details of your claim and to allow us a reasonable time to investigate and negotiate before you start legal proceedings against us.

Some claims against us will follow these civil procedure rules (CPR).

Legal proceedings

If you do decide to start legal proceedings against us, please send the details to: