A FORMER Met Police officer has been left reeling after receiving a measly £2.50 in compensation years after being assaulted whilst on the job.
PC Gary Watkinson was assaulted whilst at work for the force some years ago and has only recently received his dues.
The slow-moving cheque arrived at Kensington Police Station – where Gary hasn’t worked for five years – where a colleague was granted permission to open the letter.
Inside they found a compensation cheque totalling an insultingly low £2.50, which was enough to leave Gary chuckling at the sheer absurdity.
A snap of the cheque shows that, sure enough, Gary has been issued the sum – which wouldn’t even be enough to buy a meal deal – on behalf of HM Courts and Tribunal Services.
The compensation has prompted Gary to raise the conversation of how police officers are treated, as he admitted than when any of his colleagues do leave the service, he “doesn’t blame them”.
The policeman took to social media this morning to vent, where he was met with sympathy by fellow users who were similarly shocked by the sum.
He wrote: “Six months after I leave the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), a letter is delivered to a police station that I haven’t worked at since 2019.
“A colleague has permission to open it on my behalf and here we have a compensation cheque for £2.50.
“That’s a compensation cheque sent out for an assault I suffered.”
He continued: “Imagine being assaulted in the lawful execution of your duty, and this is the best they can sort for you.
“Now just imagine for one minute, in some parallel universe, someone made an effort to look after cops.
“Now this isn’t a dig at the MPS, very far from it. I loved the Met.
“It is however a dig at the judicial system and the lack of care given to the people they really need. It’s as if they really don’t realise just how much they need us.
“Retention of police officers is an issue and things like this are one of many reasons why. I’m going nowhere, policing is who I am but when a colleague does walk, I don’t blame them.”
Gary’s post received over 370 likes and more than 60 comments from sympathetic social media users.
One user said: “It’s a disgrace. You deserve better.”
Another added: “On the bright side, compensation for personal suffering & injury is exempt from income tax and capital gains tax.”
A third wrote: “Meanwhile the criminal defence team who defended the guilty from the get-go defendant has profited to the tune of around £8,000 from the case.”
Another commented: “Lucky, I’m still waiting for my £50 awarded 12 years ago.”
