Met Police pays out £2m to staff as discrimination claims soar

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This raises fears of an increasing compensation culture in the force and has sparked calls for the rules surrounding employment tribunals to be changed.

The Home Office figures show in 2003/04 the Met made out-of-court settlements worth just over £350,000 to officers and other staff.

In 2007/08, the latest figures available, that had jumped to just under £520,000.

Claims of sexual discrimination have doubled during this later period and settlements involving other forms of discrimination - including sexual orientation, age and disability - have leaped to £324,000. But cases of racial discrimination have fallen steadily.

The figures do not include legal and administrative costs, which are likely to push the total even higher.

A police source said: "I think there are a number of officers who are jumping on the bandwagon and seeking easy money. While no doubt some officers have a point, some of these cases are pretty frivolous."

Today's figures show the level of payouts made following industrial tribunals is comparatively minimal, just £78,775 since 2003/04.

Peter Smyth, spokesman for the Metropolitan Police Federation, said: "If you go to a tribunal you have to pay your own costs, win or lose.

"The Met would rather give someone £5,000 than risk £30,000 in legal fees. The law is wrong. They ought to make the loser pay all the costs and that would stamp out cases that were not genuine."

Today's figures do not include the reported £300,000 paid to former Met assistant commissioner Tarique Ghaffur in an out-of-court settlement.

He claimed former Met Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair racially discriminated against him. Mr Ghaffur was suspended.

Following the settlement he retired and dropped the allegations, which had been denied by Sir Ian.

Also not included is the latest payout to Detective Sergeant Gurpal Virdi.

He had already won £240,000 in damages from the Met for race discrimination, but was awarded another £4,500 from the force last year after claiming it did not make allowances for his failing sight when taking police exams.