A ROCHFORD woman has launched a new initiative to help police find veterans if they go missing in memory of her late husband.
Claire Lilly set up the Forcer Protocol, named after Alan, who served in Northern Ireland and Kosovo, as a result of the inquest into him taking his own life in a woodland between Darlington and Stockton-on-Tees on May 21, 2020.
It is designed to speed up the passage of lifesaving information for when a veteran goes missing, and a six-month pilot with Greater Manchester Police went live on Armistice Day.
Ms Lilly said: “The protocol will allow for the vital information about the wellbeing of veterans to be held safely by Safe and Found Online, and it’ll then be shared with police immediately when they're identified as missing and at risk.
“It'll act as a lifeline for those veterans who are struggling to get support as quickly as possible, which will prevent suicide attempts.
“According to Manchester University’s national confidential suicide report into veterans, 52 take their own lives a year, which equates to one a week. I hope this protocol can help put preventable measures in place."
If the six-month trial is successful, it will be rolled out to Essex Police and other forces.
It comes after Mr Forcer, who joined the army aged 16, was battling undiagnosed complex PTSD after the horrific events he saw in Northern Ireland and Kosovo.
After being missing for three days, police located his Belgian Malinois dog Zeus by his side in a North East woodland.
On Thursday, Rayleigh and Wickford MP Mark Francois chaired a conference at Westminster with TV’s Ross Kemp, veterans minister Johnny Mercer MP, Greater Manchester Police, Safe and Found Online, the Home Office, other veteran organisations and Ms Lilly, to help launch the initiative.
Mr Francois said: “This protocol, should mean that police forces, working with the families of veterans who may be at risk, can respond far quicker to those who are at serious risk of suicide.
“Hopefully, as a result, many lives will be saved in the future.
“I particularly want to commend my constituent, Claire Lilly for her tireless dedication over the last few years to make this system a reality.”
If you are a veteran or a loved one of a veteran who feels they could benefit from this service and want to take steps to keep safe, then you can add your details to the protocol here: safeandfoundonline.co.uk/forcer-protocol/index.html.
If you feel affected by what has happened and wish to find support, you can contact the Samaritans on 116 123 via phone for a confidential chat or email: jo@samaritans.org.
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