Resilience is a key attribute required of anybody involved in the Armed Forces, particularly because, many years after being exposed to the traumas of warfare and human suffering, in your quieter, isolated and more reflective moments, you are still fighting a battle. Alan Forcer, an Armed Forces veteran from Stockton-on-Tees, demonstrated resilience in many different forms for over 20 years, until he couldn’t any longer. And the failings highlighted in the Inquest due to the fragmented nature of the veterans welfare landscape have prompted his family to show a new kind of resilience, and prove that positivity and progressive ideas can come out of tragedy.
Alan Forcer first joined the army aged 16, and was only 18 when he was sent to serve in Kosovo in 1998. After five months in Kosovo he returned to the UK for standard rest and recuperation, but never returned. He saw a civilian GP after admitting he was struggling with his mental health, and the GP declared he was not medically fit to complete the tour. He was eventually discharged from the army in 2000, but it was not until 2017 that he sought further mental health support for his ongoing struggles through Combat Stress, who supported him with his mental health issues for three years, during which he was officially diagnosed with service-attributed PTSD. However, around Christmas 2019 , Combat Stress announced that they could no longer support his mental health treatment due to funding issues. Although a referral was made to the NHS, Alan was not offered any further support with his mental health.
Pandemic halted all mental health support
Most people reading this will note the significance of that date. A month later the UK was in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Alan was denied the positive outlets he used to manage his mental health, mostly gym sessions and interactions with friends, combined with being left with no mental health support from the NHS or Combat Stress, despite being high risk. On May 20th 2020, Alan went missing after leaving his partner’s address. He was reported missing by his ex-wife Claire Lilly later that day when he hadn’t returned home. Claire knew of Alan’s mental health struggles and the complex symptoms of his PTSD and was understandably concerned from a trauma informed perspective She provided all the relevant information to the Police including her concerns about his risk, strong suicidal ideation and the fact he was a veteran. Despite this he was only ever assessed as a medium risk. Tragically, the next day Alan’s body was found in woodland hear his home in Stockton-on-Tees, having taken his own life.
The subsequent Inquest in November 2022 – in which Alan’s family were represented by Ison Harrison’s Inquest specialist Gemma Vine and Barrister Lilian Lewis from Garden Court North – concluded and it was clear there was an identifiable flaw in the veteran care pathway, namely that access to mental health support with an understanding of the mentality and culture of the armed forces, was insufficient. Fundamentally, the care system had failed to provide Alan with the tools to cope with his mental health struggles. Furthermore, there were also flaws in the way in which the missing persons investigation was conducted, due to the fact that they did not recognise the importance of essential information provided by Claire and the unique nature of mental health in those with an armed forces history.
Of course the Inquest couldn’t fill the enormous void left by Alan’s passing, nor help with the grieving process, but they did plant the seed of an idea that is rapidly blossoming into a tangible benefit for those who have served and continue to serve in the armed forces and their families, who are struggling with the aftermath of military service in the same way that Alan Forcer and his family did.
Police discussions led to the Forcer Protocol
During the Inquest Claire and her legal team noted that there was a lack of knowledge, awareness and understanding within Cleveland Police about the unique difficulties faced by an individual who has served / is serving in the armed forces and the relationship that this has with their mental health and risk of suicide/ self harm. In the Inquest itself, further discussions with Cleveland police expanded on this subject. Research had uncovered the ‘Herbert Protocol’, a risk reduction tool which sought to record critical details about dementia sufferers, with the aim of providing police with a head start in terms of a person’s symptoms and likely places to visit, along with other helpful details, should they go missing. From these discussions, the Forcer Protocol was formed, and a legacy of preventing further avoidable suicides in those who have served or are serving in the armed forces would become a fitting tribute to Alan’s life and armed forces service.
In 2021, according to ONS Statistics, there were 253 recorded veteran suicides in the UK, that’s 4.8 per week. In the same year, veteran suicides between the ages of 25-34 years of age were 38.2 per 100,000 people, while for the general public as a whole they were only 18 per 100,000. In the age range of 35-44, the difference was 33.5 for veterans against 18.8 for the general population. This stark disparity alerted Claire to the need to instigate change, and so she developed the Forcer Protocol, a groundbreaking strategy for policing suicide prevention.
The Forcer Protocol is essentially a process, and follows the route that Alan Forcer’s story should have taken, had such a system been in place. There is an online form which can be completed by veterans, carers (both informal and professional) or family and friends, which aids police in finding veterans in the event that they go missing. This could pinpoint the likely places they would visit and could prevent tragedy for anyone known to be at risk of suicide.
In relation to the police themselves, it is written into policy that the initial call handler will ask for any missing person’s report whether the missing person is a veteran or whether they have an armed forces history. Secondly, the Forcer Protocol acts to then refer the person to veteran-specific support services, so the overall aim is to prevent further loss and to foster long-term recovery.
Additionally, now that officers are being educated into the unique attributes of someone who has served in the armed forces. They are also utilising their training in the community in other areas of their policing duties when they are coming across these individuals in the community, i.e if they come across a veteran who is homeless.
A successful pilot scheme launch in Greater Manchester
Claire has partnered with specialist missing person tool ‘Safe and Found Online’ to develop the digitalised version of the Forcer Protocol online platform, and has also worked with dedicated charities and mental health support services to develop trusted partnerships and a robust referral route that police can use to Op Nova and Op Courage
In Remembrance Week 2023, the Forcer Protocol was launched as a pilot scheme adopted by Greater Manchester Police. In its first 12 months the process has successfully located over 180 veterans who have been reported as missing, and has connected them to veteran specific support services. As we approach Remembrance Day 2024, we have the positive news that police forces in Northumbria, Cumbria, Kent and Cheshire have already rolled out the scheme soon to be followed by West Yorkshire and Essex. There are already 20 other forces lined up to roll out the scheme within the next 6 months and the hope is that the remaining police forces will have rolled out by the end of 2025. Actor and TV personality Ross Kemp is already a patron and advocate of the Forcer Protocol.
Claire commented:
“We’re aiming to reduce the risk of harm to service veterans, reservists and current members of the armed forces who go missing. The point of the protocol is to ensure that key information is available to the police in order for them to allocate their resources effectively, and ultimately prevent needless deaths. This preventative measure is not just for the missing person but also to give some peace of mind to their families and / or carers. Additionally, it is to highlight the unique nature of mental health in the armed forces community whether currently serving or not.
Statistics show there is an urgent need for this service and I’m pleased to see it is already making a significant impact within the missing persons sector and the wider policing in the community.”
Raising awareness and finding a solution for mental health service deficiencies
Ison Harrison’s Gemma Vine added:
“Alan’s family wanted to use his inquest to highlight the problems faced by those who have served their country and sadly go on to suffer with their mental health. Given the police are key figures within the community, it makes sense that they are best placed to ask the question of those they are coming into contact with – ‘are you a veteran?’ or ‘do you have a service history?’ – and then make the appropriate professional referrals to those bodies that are best placed to help them. The Forcer Protocol is the ideal solution to this.”
Resilience isn’t inexhaustible, but it can live on by generating spirit and perseverance, and can also lead to innovation and the opportunity to deliver positive change. This is all packaged together as the Forcer Protocol, and this all came from the fragmented nature of service support which failed Alan Forcer. His legacy is to provide his colleagues – past, present and future – with a cohesive support network that he never had, and to confirm he will always be the brother in the trenches who is there for them, and with the strength and courage to reassure them that the battle is never lost.
Remembrance Day 2024
A final word from Claire:
“As Remembrance Day approaches and we remember our fallen. We also honour an often forgotten cohort, those that we have lost to suicide and those still bearing the invisible wounds and the weight of grief. The casualties of mental, physical and emotional trauma. We remember all those who have gone on to take their own lives with an armed forces service history and the grieving families that they leave behind and those who continue to struggle with their mental health.
Let us strive for a country that supports and implements cohesive care and know that we see you, we hear you and know that our community stands with you. You are never alone and you are never forgotten.”
