Pcs are to be awarded points for arrests

Police are being offered "points" for arresting motorists in a scheme to monitor the effectiveness of individual officers.

Thames Valley officers have been told they must reach 200 points a month or risk being hauled in front of their superiors.

They have been given cards which put "values" on different types of offences, but it is feared these values threaten to make drivers easy targets.

An officer gets 10 points for arresting a rape or burglary suspect, while simply catching a driver talking on a mobile nets five points.

Arresting someone for affray, a public order offence or a driver for not wearing a seatbelt also nets five points.

Catching an illegal immigrant or an offender with mental health problems is worth just two points.

Critics believe the scheme will

encourage arresting sprees, with officers stopping drivers for minor traffic offences just to reach the 200-point minimum and avoid an interview with supervisors.

Today officers reacted furiously. One who did not want to be named, said: "This just trivialises true crime. I have never seen anything so ridiculous."

Another officer of 20 years' experience said: "How can catching two people without seatbelts be deemed as important as catching a rapist or dealing with a threat to kill?"

The score card scheme is a pilot which could be introduced in other police forces around the country if it proves to be successful. Some police also suspect that the scheme is a pre-election stunt to increase detection and arrest figures.

However, Thames Valley Police defended the scheme, claiming it will improve policing.

"We do not accept this trivialises serious crime, " said a spokesman. "It will help us assess where an officer needs support - or where an officer is worthy of promotion."

Superintendent Mick Doyle, head of the force's roads policing department, said: "The system was introduced after full consultation and helps supervisors assess workloads."