According to Government Statistics in the year ending March 2022 just over 41,000 Police Officers in England and Wales, including the British Transport Police were assaulted whilst engaged in the execution of the duties an increase of 2.6 percent over the previous year.By its very nature Police Officers are often called upon to place themselves in situations where they risk suffering serious injury or death.The modern police service as we know it was first formed in 1829 under the, then Home Secretary Sir Robert Peel. Originally London had the first of what then became known as Bobbies or Peelers. A Uniformed body of men whose main task was the protection of life and property and the maintenance of order.
In that cause of the decades hundreds if not thousands of brave officers have been killed or severely injured whilst engaged in the lawful execution of those duties. Indeed some of those severely injured were medically discharged from their force as they were no longer able to fulfil the normal functions of a Police Officer. The history of the service shows that many of these officers received no official recognition of their sacrifice or service to the society they were paid to protect.
There are gallantry awards but these are seldom awarded even in cases where officers have been killed on duty as the bar set for these awards are set so high that the criteria is rarely met. In many cases this is because these officers were violently attacked, sometimes without warning and suffered serious injuries or death or placed themselves in danger whilst trying to protect the public.
Now, a retired former Sussex Police Officer, Tom Curry has started a campaign which seeks to obtain official recognition of those officers sacrifice who have been injured on duty which resulted in the premature end to their police careers. A campaign petition has been started and NARPO Members and their family members and friends are invited to join the campaign by using the following link;
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/644677There is also a Facebook Group – www.Facebook.com/groups/1091080585216247
By joining the group the full details of the campaign proposal can be accessed, regular updates viewed as well as some relevant cases. Most of these cases make harrowing reading but they do highlight the longstanding injustice which has lain as blot on the history of the service for over 200 years.
This campaign has the full support if the National Executive Committee of NARPO and there is already declared cross-party MP support in the Palace of Westminster.
The Police Staff Associations are being contacted with a view to gathering further support.This article could not have been written without the support of Tom Curry and his supporters and the NEC recognise his commitment to this campaign.
Ahmed RamizNo 5 Region NEC