A motion on an injury in service award

Background The number of emergency service personnel injured in service

There is no official data on the number of emergency service personnel who have been injured in service or medically discharged.

The campaign group Injured and Forgotten estimate that 15,000 former police officers have been forced to retire due to an injury they suffered in service. No similar estimate has been made for the number of injured fire officers or paramedics that have been forced to retire.

Support for injured emergency service personnel

Injured emergency service personnel who are medically discharged are usually able to access ill-health pensions and injury compensation schemes. Further details are available here for the police, here for fire officers and here for paramedics (PDF).

Medals for emergency service personnel

Under the honours system of the UK, several medals can be awarded to emergency service personnel to recognise distinguished service, such as the King’s Police Medal, the King’s Fire Service Medal and the King’s Ambulance Service Medal.

Police, ambulance, and fire personnel can also be awarded a Long Service and Good Conduct medal.

The George Cross can also be awarded to emergency service personnel for gallantry.

In March 2024, the Elizbeth Emblem was introduced to honour those who have died in the course of public service.

Medals are issued under Royal Warrant. The Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals is the policy-making body for the honours system and advises the King about possible changes to the honours system, including considering new medals. Its members are senior officials in the Civil Service and the Royal Household.

Campaign for an injury in service award

In September 2023, Tom Curry, a detective who had been forced to retire after suffering a life-changing injury on duty, launched a petition calling for “a new medal for police injured on duty and discharged from the service.”

Mr Curry stated that it was a “scandalous national disgrace” that police that are forced to retire through injury are not awarded a medal. He stated that his proposed medal was “not for heroism […] but simply to recognise that the recipient served in the police and was discharged from the service on medical grounds having been injured on duty.”

The petition closed in March 2024 and received 3,621 signatures.

Mr Curry has since expanded his campaign to include ambulance and fire service personnel who have been injured and forced to retire in “recognition of their service and sacrifice.”

Mr Curry states that his campaign has received support from MPs and bodies representing emergency services, including the Police Federation for England and Wales, the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, and Unison (a union which represents some ambulance staff). The Fire Officers’ Association (a union which represents managers and some other fire service staff) has also pledged its support, stating that those forced to retire through injury are often:

[…] deprived, through no fault of their own and only due to the injury, of receiving the long service and good conduct medal. As no other medal exists, many leave the service without any form of recognition of their health, job sacrifice or even service.

Parliamentary activity

Several written parliamentary questions have been submitted asking the government to introduce a medal for emergency service personnel injured in service.

The issue has also been raised in the Chamber of the House of Commons, including by Chris Webb (Lab) who stated that a medal would ensure that injured emergency service personnel “receive the recognition and gratitude they deserve” and Sir Roger Gale (Con) who expressed fear that this issue had “disappeared into a black hole in the Cabinet Office”.

In February 2025, Tom Morrison (Lib Dem) tabled an early day motion (EDM) which highlighted the risks and sacrifices taken by emergency service personnel and called on the government to “establish an official Injury on Duty Award Scheme to honour and acknowledge the sacrifices of these brave individuals.” The EDM received broad cross-party support and was signed by 110 Members.

In July 2025, Tom Morrison and Matt Vickers (Con) held a meeting in Parliament with 30 former police officers who had been forced to retire after suffering an injury in service to discuss the campaign for an injury in service award. Mr Morrison stated:

It’s a simple principle: if you put your body on the line for the public and are left unable to continue your job, you deserve recognition and respect, not to be forgotten.

Government response

In September 2025, the Minister for Policing and Crime, Sarah Jones, set out the government’s position on an injury in service award for emergency service personnel:

Any official award is a gift from the Government, on behalf of His Majesty The King to recognise individuals within policing and emergency services personnel. The creation of a new award requires cross Government consensus and approval from the Committee on The Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals, before advice is put to HM The King to make his final decision.

The Home Office will continue to consider proposals for new awards for members of the emergency services. It is only right that we recognise the sacrifices made by the emergency services, and it is important to make sure this is considering fully and carefully to ensure any changes are proportionate and effective.

Conservative government response

In September 2023, the then Minister for Policing and Crime, Chris Philp, stated that the “the Government has no plans currently to introduce a medal specifically for police officers who are injured on duty.”

Mr Philp restated this position in February 2024.

However, in October 2024, the Shadow Minister for Policing and Crime, Matt Vickers, stated that Conservative government “had been looking to recognise those who were discharged from service as a result of injuries on the frontline” and urged the Home Secretary to “continue that work”.