An unarmed police officer shot on duty has been offered just £4,400 compensation, it was revealed yesterday.
Pc Geoff King, of West Midlands Police, was on plainclothes duty carrying out routine car checks in Wolverhampton when Marcus Bailey unleashed a volley from a Magnum revolver.
The former Royal Marine, 35, suffered a serious gunshot wound to the shoulder and underwent a four-hour operation to save him after the attack in November 2006.
The Police Federation yesterday branded the compensation offer from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) a "miserable sum".
Paul Snape, deputy chairman of the West Midlands Police Federation, said: "I haven't spoken to Geoff yet but his colleagues at Wolverhampton feel demoralised. If this happened to them this is all they would receive after being shot twice by a dangerous gunman who was a career criminal."
Bailey, of Warnford Walk, Wolverhampton, was jailed for life at Birmingham Crown Court and told he must serve a minimum 15 years for the attempted murder of Pc King.
Bailey, 25, was also convicted of using a firearm to resist arrest and possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.
Mr Snape said the federation would be appealing against the offer. He added: "In 1984 I got £2,000 for a broken hand. How can, 24 years later, an officer shot twice be offered such a miserable sum? This has really surprised me. I thought an officer shot in such a way would be entitled to a lot more."
A spokesman for the CICA said he could not comment on individual cases, but added: "For victims of violent crime, a compensation payment from CICA is often one of the key things they receive to show society recognises what they have suffered.
"Although we can't go into details of cases, we do aim to provide a fair service."
Pc King had challenged Bailey, who was acting suspiciously, when he was shot.
Passing sentence, Mr Justice Wyn Williams described Bailey as an extremely dangerous individual.
