They are often the first on the scene at road crashes, but figures obtained by the Leicester Mercury show even skilled police drivers suffer their share of scrapes behind the wheel.

Leicestershire Constabulary said its vehicles had been involved in 453 collisions in the past two years – causing £124,000 of damage.

One in five incidents involved cars bumping into "stationary objects" – such as accidentally reversing into walls, bollards and kerbs – which cost £40,000.

Dozens of officers and members of the public suffered injuries including concussion, whiplash and neck and back problems in the incidents.

In one case, a police vehicle about to turn right was hit from behind by a coach carrying schoolchildren.

In another, a police driver ran over his colleague's foot as he reached into the back of the vehicle for a high-visibility jacket.

Nearly 30 crashes happened as officers were giving chase to other vehicles and others happened during high-speed responses to 999 calls.

Some 20 collisions were in ice and snow – such as when a police car skidded on ice and collided with a cyclist, knocking him off his bike.

Others happened when police cars smashed into buildings or walls while drivers were trying to park or handle tight manoeuvres.

Earlier this year, the Mercury reported how an elderly woman pedestrian had to be treated in hospital after a crash in Upperton Road, in Leicester's West End, when a police car was on its way to a 999 call.

In September, a teenager suffered serious hand injuries when a red Renault Clio, which was being chased by police, collided with another car at the junction of Blackbird Road and Anstey Lane, in Leicester.

Sgt Jim Walton, head of driver training at Leicestershire Constabulary, said it was inevitable that accidents happened when the force's hundreds of police cars travelled millions of miles every year.

The force introduced points system for police drivers last year to cut the number of accidents. Officers can get two points for reversing into a bollard, and eight points for rear-ending another vehicle.

If they rack up 12 points in three years, they can expect to be disqualified from driving for a few weeks and have to go on a course.

Sgt Walton said: "Nobody has been disqualified yet but if this reduces the number of collisions, it will be well worth it.

"One collision is too many for me, but police officers are only human beings and mistakes will happen."

Leicestershire Constabulary said many of the collisions were "very minor in nature".

The force could not say how much of the £124,000 cost of damage was paid for by insurance.