Police in Kent have written off 12 patrol cars in crashes within a year, according to data released under the Freedom of Information Act.

The smashes have left the force with a £69,990 repair bill and resulted in six personal injury claims.

The most expensive vehicle deemed ‘beyond economic repair’, in the year to April, was a BMW 5-series.

Compensation to members of the public hurt in the accidents totalled £19,700.

Incidents can involve crashes and fires, but also cars written off by tactical stops, which involves a patrol car smashing into an offender’s vehicle to try and bring it to a stop.

The force says that despite the figures, its officers receive the highest standards of training and all crashes are thoroughly investigated.

A spokesman added: “High standards of driving promotes public confidence, enhances good drive behaviour, makes better use of resources and aims to reduce injuries and costs associated with collisions.”

While these figures cover the period between April 2015 and April 2016, we’ve reported on a number of collisions involving police cars, which these pictures of before and after that timescale show.

Shoppers were trapped in an Asda car park for three hours after a crash in Gillingham in April, while in June two officers were taken to hospital after their patrol car collided with a lorry on the M2 near Sittingbourne.

On Monday, two officers escaped unharmed after one of the force’s BMWs burst into flames on the M20 near Ashford.

In 2007 the Independent Police Complaints Commission asked forces to put black boxes in their motors to help investigate accidents.