Former police officers and emergency service personnel, who sustained life-altering injuries while protecting the public, are demanding the creation of a formal award to honour their sacrifice. They have described feeling abandoned and forgotten after being forced to leave the careers they loved.
'We feel discarded and forgotten'
Jane Notley, a former constable, has spoken out about the devastating impact of a serious injury she sustained on duty in 1989. Ms Notley, who joined the Manchester police in 1979, was investigating a car thief when the suspect slammed his vehicle into reverse, hitting her four times.
She told the PA news agency that the incident left her with severe mobility issues and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), ultimately leading to a nervous breakdown in 2010. "I was lucky enough to get somebody who was able to reconstruct my legs, rather than being in a wheelchair," she said. However, her policing career was over.
Ms Notley revealed that her employer viewed her as a 'financial hazard' and told her they "couldn't afford" to keep her. After being kept away from front-line duties for several years, she was ultimately told to leave. "I was just absolutely devastated because that's all I ever wanted to do," said the 65-year-old, who had dreamed of being an officer since the age of five.
The fight for an injury in service award
Ms Notley joined other former emergency service workers from the 999 Injured and Forgotten Campaign outside Parliament to call for change. They are urging the government to establish an injury in service award scheme. This dedicated honour would formally recognise police officers, firefighters, and paramedics who have had to medically retire due to injuries sustained in the line of duty.
Sean Burridge, a 49-year-old former Surrey officer with 24 years of service, shared his story. He was injured in a head-on collision in 2015 while pursuing a suspect. Although he remained with the force until 2022, his injuries meant he could no longer serve on the front line. He was granted ill-health retirement in April 2024.
Mr Burridge expressed his pride in his service but lamented the lack of recognition for those who don't complete their service due to injury. "I'm disappointed I had to retire because I won't get the bar on my medal to show that I've done for 30 years," he said, adding that he felt he had "no choice" but to leave.
Political support for the campaign
The campaign has found a parliamentary champion in Tom Morrison, the Liberal Democrat MP for Cheadle. He has tabled a Commons motion highlighting that "existing honours are limited in scope and rarely conferred".
Mr Morrison warned that over 16,000 former police officers have had to retire because of injuries, yet there is currently no formal recognition of their sacrifice. He told PA that a dedicated medal would allow injured personnel to "walk down a street with that medal, and people will know that he put his life on the line".
For campaigners like Jane Notley, such recognition would make their ordeal "almost worthwhile". Without it, she said, "it's almost as though we're just discarded, we are forgotten".
