The front main door of a hotel in Buckinghamshire was smashed in by approximately 8 armed police at 4.30 am Thursday morning.Terrified guests were woken up by police knocking on their doors looking for someone.
The staff at the hotel were stressed by the action and guests complained about the police action.
The action appeared to be inappropriate. The police had already called into the hotel the day before with photos asking staff if they had seen the person. There was no person in the hotel with that description.
The management of the hotel consider that the action taken by the police was heavy handed and not good for their business. A phone call to discuss the matter by the police would have saved police time and money.
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Other news from The Telegraph
Police forces pay £500,000 compensation
Police paid out more than half a million pounds in compensation last year for raiding the wrong properties.
Forces across Britain shelled out to repair broken doors, smashed windows, wrecked walls and even damaged ornaments.
According to a request under the Freedom of Information Act, 30 police forces paid £560,000 in compensation and repair costs last year.
The Metropolitan Police Service paid out the most, £283,829, more than half the total sum nationwide.
They also issued the highest single payout, £6,932, though the force was not able to reveal what this was for.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) had the next highest overalltotal, paying £45,072.70 last year, followed closely by Lothian and Borders Police with £43,880.89.
In fourth place Kent Police paid £26,523, while Thames Valley Police came fifth with a total of £25,725.14.
The figures revealed payments for replastering and redecorating, replacing ornaments, fixing locks and providing glazing services.
The most common costs among 3,607 payouts were for replacing or repairing doors, listed by 50 per cent of forces.
In the last financial year Durham police paid out for damage to 35 doors while Northamptonshire Police had to replace eight.
Due to time constraints most forces were unable to break down each claim individually.
But 13 per cent of police forces admitted repairing locks and seven per cent said they had had to pay to replace ornaments.
Another ten per cent said they had to pay compensation after breaking into the wrong address.
Grampian Police paid £1,159.71 last year ''for entering the wrong property when attempting to execute a lawful warrant''.
Dyfed Powys Police had to pay £1,000 for raiding an ''incorrect address'' and Strathclyde Police paid an undisclosed sum following a ''forced entry to the wrong house''.
In September drugs officers from Northamptonshire Police terrified a young mother when they tried to smash down her front door with a battering ram - with a warrant for next door.
Nursery nurse Carly Payne, 24, was breastfeeding five-day-old daughter Bella on the sofa when police burst in, arresting her partner, stepfather and his friend - who were later released without charge.
The mother-of-two from Wellingborough, Northants., said the police should be ''ashamed'' for bungling more than 3,600 raids last year.
She said: ''That's an absolute joke. Northants Police told me these mistakes were rare but it looks like the police screw things up all over the country.
''It's crazy, I can't believe there have been so many mistakes. The police need to do their homework much better in the future.''
Northamptonshire Police have finally replaced her door 12 weeks on.
According to the statistics the majority of claims paid out are for repair costs, but some are more unusual.
More unusual compensation payments from last year came from Northamptonshire Police, who paid £40 for a damaged pet cage and £100 to repair a tent.
Strathclyde Police had to find £1551.50 after an ''allegation an officer damaged the ceiling during a search''.
Most police authorities confirmed they would only pay compensation if their officers were deemed to have acted ''unlawfully''.
Compensation is only appropriate if the search is ''not lawful'' or force used cannot be shown to be ''reasonable, proportionate and necessary to effect entry''.
Telegraph Dec 2009
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