Missing veterans helped to safety by police scheme

A veteran says a new scheme to help police to find servicepeople who go missing will "help them work smarter and save lives" as it is set to be introduced on Friday.

Sussex Police has adopted the Forcer Protocol, a scheme which allows information about vulnerable veterans to be shared in advance with the force to help them receive support quickly if they were to go missing.

Steve Gallagher, from Bexhill, who served for six months in Bosnia in 1995, told BBC South East the protocol could help police find veterans and bring them back to safety.

Veterans and their families and carers can share information with police, which can help identify and support them during high-risk incidents.

Gallagher said: "I had been told how good the protocol is from different forces.

"It's how the police can work smarter and save lives."

If a veteran signed up to the protocol were to go missing, police forces signed up to the initiative can request a copy of the profile of veterans, which can be used to inform emergency service responses.

It aims to improve emergency service responses to veterans who may be at risk of harm.

"If I gave them my hotspots then they could look at those and get there before I did anything," said Gallagher.

Gallagher said that he had struggled with alcohol due following his experiences in Bosnia, and had also suffered mental health issues upon returning home, where he worked as a hotel chef.

He said that he had become aware of the Forcer Protocol through support he received from military charities.

He raised the prospect of implementing the scheme with Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne, who told BBC South East that the scheme would "make a huge difference".

The scheme was founded by Claire Lilly, in memory of her husband L/Cpl Alan Forcer, who died after going missing in 2020.

Lilly said: "The impact of this is really quite special, and transforming our grief into something amazing is quite some legacy that Alan has left.

"The attention to detail, care and empathy that Sussex Police has shown is really something special."

Sussex Police's armed forces lead, Det Ch Supt Matthew Barcraft-Barnes, said: "This is about recognising all those differences that veterans face. It allows us to improve and show our support for people that have served."

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