Salisbury attack: Novichok poisoning costs expected to exceed £10m for Wiltshire Police alone, force says

Commissioner ‘fully expects’ all costs to be reimbursed by government

The final cost for policing in the aftermath of the nerve agent attack in Salisbury is expected to exceed £10 million for Wiltshire Police alone, the force has revealed.

In an unusual disclosure, the police and crime commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon said he “fully expects” all costs to be reimbursed by the government, following the “unimaginable” events from earlier this year.

However, the total figure for all forces could be far higher when costs incurred by the Metropolitan Police, whose counterterror officers are leading the investigation, is ultimately taken into account.

Wiltshire Police were forced to meet “extraordinary demand”, Commissioner Angus Macpherson said, after a former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter Yulia were attacked with novichok in March.

Russia is suspected by the government of being behind the poisoning despite Moscow’s vehement denials. The incident later claimed the life of a British national, Dawn Sturgess, after the 44-year-old, who lived in the nearby town of Amesbury, picked up a discarded perfume bottle containing the nerve agent.

More than £7m of Wiltshire Police’s bill will cover the cost of drafting in extra officers from 40 other forces, Mr Macpherson said in a statement, with more than £1.3m being spent on overtime for local officers and staff.

It also cost an estimated £347,000 to destroy a number of police cars potentially contaminated by the nerve agent.

“For our force to find itself at the centre of two major incidents in such a short space of time is somewhat unimaginable and we have endured significant costs because of the scale of the investigation,” Mr Macpherson said.

“I am grateful that the government has already pledged £4.1m pounds towards the costs incurred by Wiltshire Police during the investigation into the attack on Yulia and Sergei Skripal.

“I am in frequent contact with them, and those conversations will remain an absolute priority for me, to ensure that policing in Wiltshire and Swindon is not affected by the financial implications of these high profile and complex major incidents.

“I fully expect all costs associated with these unparalleled incidents to be met by the government.”

Chief constable Kier Pritchard added he was “assured” the commissioner would “continue his dialogue with the government to ensure that Wiltshire Police and the communities we serve are unaffected by these growing costs”.

The Home Office and Metropolitan Police have been contacted for comment.