CUMBRIA Police is adopting a new initiative to ensure the safety of missing veterans. 

The Forcer Protocol is a tool used by the police to ensure key information is available to them when they are searching for service veterans who are lost or have gone missing when they return home.

It gives access to veterans' details such as any key vulnerabilities or any known risk factors, and where they have been found if they went missing before (veterans or their families have to give consent to those details being shared first).

The protocol has been developed by founder Claire Lilly and is named after her former husband Alan Forcer, who joined the military aged 16 and served in Northern Ireland and Kosovo.

Alan took his own life after going missing in May 2020.

“We are deeply honoured and truly humbled to receive the remarkable news that following on from a successful pilot and full implementation of the Forcer Protocol by Greater Manchester Police, that Cumbria Constabulary are going to implement the protocol in their force area," Claire said. 

“Well over 70 veterans have been swiftly located by Greater Manchester Police and placed into specialised veteran specific services after being reported missing. This protocol emerges as a beacon of promise," she said. 

With Cumbria Constabulary becoming the second force in the country to adopt the protocol, Inspector Charlie Tresham said: "We are extremely pleased to implement this fantastic initiative which aims to locate veterans and prevent them coming to harm.

“I would encourage all service veterans, reservists, and current serving members of the armed forces to please consider visiting the Safe and Found Online website and complete the form.

"These details will provide the police key information to find you should you ever go missing," he said. 

Actor, author, and television presenter, Ross Kemp is a key public advocate of the Forcer Protocol.

 “I would like to say a huge thank you to Cumbria Police for adopting the Forcer Protocol.

"Safe and Found Online will help police forces locate vulnerable people faster. It will also help police with information in terms of how they approach a vulnerable person once they have been found.

“I have a number of friends who served in Afghanistan, whilst I was out there between 2007 and 2012, who are now vulnerable. I know the Forcer Protocol helped keep them safe and also gives reassurance to their families," he said. 

How to sign up: 

Prior to an individual going missing, a veteran or their professional carers, family members or friends can complete a form which records vital information in relation to the veteran in case they go missing.

The form is available here: Forcer Protocol – Safe and Found Online.

Officers will only ever ask for the information provided on the form if the person is reported to them as a missing person using the below three-step approach:

  1. The person is reported missing to Cumbria Constabulary. Our call handlers will then ask whether that person is known to be a veteran in every missing case as part of the initial assessment. The Force’s Command and Control Room can then get direct access to Safe and Found Online, giving them crucial information in a matter of minutes.
  2. Cumbria Constabulary will then identify the risk, investigate, and will hopefully locate the missing person safe and well.
  3. A referral is then completed on a Single Veterans Pathway to ensure that the veteran gets the correct support they need and will potentially reduce demand on policing in the long-term.