Chief Constable Ian Learmonth

Hard-up taxpayers are forking out hundreds of thousands a year ensuring Kent’s top cops can continue to travel in luxury.

Chief Constable Ian Learmonth and 34 other high-ranking officers at the force – as well as four from Essex – are currently cruising the county’s roads in a range of expensive lease cars including a Jaguar XJ, BMW 335D M Sport and an Audi A6.

Kent Police must save £50 million over the next four years as a result of Government spending cuts, but figures obtained by KoS under the Freedom of Information Act show that more than £450,000 has been splashed out on the car scheme alone since April 2009.

Robert Oxley, campaign manager at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “These flash cars aren’t for keeping criminals off the street or protecting the public; they are a luxury perk for already well-paid officers.

“The taxpayer is being made to foot the bill to chauffeur around top cops in high performance vehicles at a time when police forces are making tough budget reductions.

“The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) have been actively opposing many of the proposed police reforms yet its members are still happy for the taxpayer to pick up the tab for this lavish perk.

“The public want the police budget spent on bobbies on the beat, not Jags for superintendents.”

The lease car scheme – which covers six chief officers, nine chief superintendents and 24 superintendents – cost Kent Police about £157,000 in 2009/10 and £221,000 last year. The current total for 2011/12 is just over £73,000.

A monthly fuel allowance of £892 for chief officers and £595 for everyone else forms a large chunk of the expenditure, with all recipients required to contribute £140 per month from their own sizeable wage packets.

Other cars driven by those currently on the scheme – all of which are fitted with blue lights and sirens – include a Mercedes E350, a Chevrolet Captiva and a Volvo XC60.

Rochester and Strood MP Mark Reckless (Con) is a former Kent Police Authority member who currently serves on the Home Affairs select committee.

He said: “I believe the cars used should be appropriate to the needs of the senior officers concerned but not excessive. Some of the cars listed do seem overly-impressive.

“In these times of financial stringency the public needs to see as much money as possible concentrated on frontline policing, and neighbourhood policing in particular.”

Chief Constable Ian Learmonth currently earns about £150,000 a year, with superintendents paid up to £76,000 and chief superintendents up to £79,000.

A Kent Police spokeswoman said the senior officers need the cars because they are sometimes required to travel across the county at short notice and at any time of day or night.

She added: “The allowances for the officers covered by this scheme are regularly subject to review as part of measures to reduce expenditure and make savings across the force.

“The force has repeatedly found this option is more cost-effective than paying officers the mileage rates for the use of their private vehicles set nationally by the Police Negotiating Board. It is likely to remain the most cost-effective option in the force’s new structure, as many superintending ranks will soon have even larger geographic areas of responsibility.”

The spokeswoman added that the costs of the scheme will fall as the number of superintendents and chief officers is reduced over the next three years.