AS many as half the officers retiring from regional police forces are doing so on medical grounds, according to the latest figures.

In the 12 months to March this year, 34 of the 60 officers who retired from North Yorkshire Police cited ill health as their reason. For Northumbria, the latest figures, covering the previous financial year, are only marginally lower, with 43 retirements out of 102 on medical grounds.

Of the £4m paid out in lump sums by the North Yorkshire Constabulary, about £2m was given to those retiring because of ill health.

In a speech to the House of Lords yesterday, Lord MacKenzie of Framwellgate highlighted the discrepancies between forces.

Referring to recent figures released by the Home Office, he said: "Measures to tackle abuses of medical retirements are long overdue.

"I have long complained about the remarkable differences between police forces. For example, in 1997, medical retirements in Merseyside were running at 77 per cent, whereas in Kent the figure was 16 per cent.

"That can't be right, and is to do with the way sickness is managed. If some of these requirements are bogus, who are the doctors who are signing the certificates?"

In the North-East, the Durham and Cleveland forces recorded relatively low figures for medical retirements. Out of 35 retiring officers in Durham in the year up to March, only eight claimed ill health, while in Cleveland, there were ten out of 55 last year.