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The President of Home Affairs does not want a speculative public cost that is being discussed openly to become fact, simply by virtue of repetition.
Deputy Rob Prow has released a statement amidst the ongoing discourse surrounding law enforcement’s use of private law firms.
You can learn more about ongoing scrutiny into the costs accrued - after police officers defended themselves against a series of petty debt claims - HERE.
The exact figure spent on defending several officers is privileged information. What is known is that it cost the Committee for Home Affairs £5,000, while £250,000 was drawn from States Insurance Deductible Fund. It’s understood that a ‘remainder’ was covered by States’ insurers, but exactly what that ‘remainder’ was is unknown.
It’s also understood that if the case hadn’t been stopped by a Tomlin Order then legal fees were predicted to reach as high as £500,000.
Deputy Gavin St Pier has suggested that the cost to date could have nearly met this figure:
“Together with an unspecified further sum borne by third party insurers - whose future premiums will of course reflect the claims experience - total costs of £400k remains a reasonable estimate - to defend claims totalling less than £12k,” he said recently.
The President of Home Affairs, Deputy Rob Prow, refutes this assertion:
“We have provided substantive responses on this through the Rule 14 process and via briefing States Members to give an accurate overview of this matter and the appropriate role we have taken in support of police officers.
“While the full legal costs are privileged, the estimate Deputy St Pier continues to speculate publicly is excessive. I felt obligated to clarify that so that its repeated use does not become ‘fact’. However I feel sure he will want to have the last word on this matter.”
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