A former officer for Dorset Police, who was stabbed in the line of duty, hopes fellow officers who have been severely injured will receive an official government award.
John Hadfield, 74, is supporting a campaign set up by retired Sussex police officer Thomas Curry to ensure that officers, who are injured on duty and then medically discharged, receive a government award in recognition of their service.
On March 9, the government announced police, firefighters and other service workers who died in the line of duty would receive The Elizabeth Emblem – a posthumous award for their service.
A second campaign was set up due to concerns that those who were severely injured and medically discharged were “overlooked and forgotten.”
Mr Hadfield has recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer and hopes other servicemen, if not himself, will be able to finally receive national recognition for their health sacrifices.
“I might not know whether the campaign will be successful, I might not live long enough to receive this award but it’s important servicemen are recognised for the health sacrifices they have made.”
After spending many years in the Army, Mr Hadfield began working for Dorset Police in Bridport, Dorchester, and Weymouth for ten years before being transferred to the Regional Crime Squad in Bristol in 1986.
In December 1990, while making an arrest for an attempted burglary in Bristol city centre, Mr Hadfield was stabbed five times.
He said: “I was very lucky that I was only half a mile from the Royal Infirmary. They saved my life as one of the stab wounds nicked my aorta, so I was bleeding to death.
“I’m so grateful for that. It’s the things that came afterwards that affected me. I had to walk past where I got stabbed as that was where I worked, it was quite macabre."
Mr Hadfield was medically discharged in July 1994 after 19 years and ten months of service.
He developed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) since the incident and has previously done charity work, supporting Combat Stress and The Household Cavalry Foundation - charities that support veterans with mental health and PTSD.
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He received no service medals as the initial criterion for the Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal was 22 years' service.
“I didn’t get a medal, through no fault of my own, and a lot of police officers are in the same situation as me who had a lot more serious injuries that will follow them through the rest of their lives. There was no recognition at all for what you did if you hadn’t done 22 years.”
Thomas Curry launched a campaign in late September calling for a new service medal to be bestowed on officers who have been injured during their work then medically discharged. His parliament petition currently has 3,465 signations with over 1,000 members on their Facebook page.
“This is a national 200-year-old scandal of overlooking those affected and harrowingly sad stories have come to me from all over the U.K including that of John Hadfield.”
“This is particularly sad because he has terminal cancer and doesn’t know how much more time he has. John has said that he would dearly love to see this be approved during his lifetime.”
More information about the campaign can be found on the petition link or via the Facebook page:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/644677
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1091080585216247
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