POLICE in Cumbria are spending tens of thousands of pounds a year to pay informers for information, it can be revealed.

Cumbria Constabulary has spent more than £300,000 in paying covert human intelligence sources since 2018, according to figures obtained by this newspaper.

The identity of these sources is a closely guarded secret and the force has refused to reveal further information on their use within Cumbria Police.

In a response to a freedom of information request, the force did not disclose how many undercover informants it had used or the biggest payments offered to a single source.

The highest figure paid in a financial year was 2021/22 when total payments totally nearly £73,000.

The force has stressed that the use of informants helps to keep people safe and support its work.

A spokesperson said “The use of Covert Human Intelligence Sources (CHIS) is a legitimate and closely regulated tactic governed by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

“Every year the Constabulary are subject to independent external scrutiny by the Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office (IPCO), which carries out checks to ensure we are acting in accordance with the law and the code of practice.

“The use of Covert Human Intelligence Sources supports policing to keep people safe and are used when deemed necessary in the prevention and detection of crime.

“Several factors need to be considered when assessing rewards for sources, the Constabulary follows the national minimum standard framework to ensure consistency.”

Police did not answer requests for more detail about the number of informants used, saying it could help to identify sources.

"As previous cases have shown, where a CHIS is identified it can result in substantial physical harm, or mental trauma, resulting from the threat of physical harm," the force said.

"The health and safety of any individual is a matter of significant concern and importance to Cumbria Constabulary.

"Release of any information that could place an informant at risk of identification and thus risk of physical or mental harm is therefore not suitable for disclosure."

In 2020 it was reported that police forces across the UK paid undercover informants more than £13 million over the previous five years.