Goods worth nearly £200,000 have been stolen from West Midlands Police during the last three years, it can be revealed today.

Cars, computers and cash have all been swiped from under officers’ noses.The force has been targeted 252 times since 2007 at a cost of £197,920 — with cameras, mobiles, clothing and even chemicals taken.

Nineteen vehicles worth an estimated £106,060 have been taken, along with 13 computers worth £11,200, camera equipment totalling £10,900 and hundreds of pounds of telephones and videos.

One officer reported a pack of cigarettes had been taken under suspicious circumstances, while in another incident a single item of clothing valued at up to £2,000 was swiped.

The thefts have been revealed under the Freedom of Information act, but a request for more details was refused.

Fiona McEvoy, grass roots manager with the West Midlands Taxpayers Alliance, called for the police to be more vigilant in protecting goods which taxpayers had to shell out to replace.

She said: “Anyone can be the victim of theft, but we might expect the police to take greater precautions given that they are in possession of valuable equipment and sensitive data.

The public are often being told to protect their valuables but it seems that the West Midlands Police force may not always practice what they preach.”

West Midlands Police today said theft from the force had fallen by 20 per cent over the three years.

Spokesman Jim Levack said: “In an organisation of 13,000 employees and a vehicle fleet of 1,700 often working in fast moving and dynamic situations in their communities, there will be occasions when our staff are victims of crime. Unfortunately being a police officer does not mean exemption.”