TOP cops in England and Wales were paid a whopping £7.5 million in pay packages last year, the College of Policing revealed yesterday. 

It includes bonuses and benefits in kind, including vehicle provision, and, in certain cases, healthcare or other similar benefits.

The figures show that Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe received £281,273, including pension contributions, in 2012/13.

Outside the Met, the highest total package went to Phil Gormley in Norfolk, who has since been appointed deputy director-general of the National Crime Agency.

The College of Policing’s chief executive Chief Constable Alex Marshall said: “The publication of this new register is part of the college’s Integrity Programme and allows the public to scrutinise what pay and rewards chief officers receive.

“This information has been collated in one place for the first time and shows forces are committed to being open and transparent.”

Any officer or member of staff whose salary exceeds £150,000 a year is named and the numbers of officers or staff who earn more than £50,000 a year are published.

A new Register of Chief Officers Gifts, Hospitality and Business Interests will also be published later this year