Families worried that a loved one with an Armed Forces background may go missing can now register vital information in advance to help police find them.
Devon & Cornwall Police has adopted the Forcer Protocol, a national scheme designed to help officers locate vulnerable veterans, reservists and serving members of the Armed Forces when they are reported missing.
The scheme allows information about a person’s habits, places they are known to visit and other personal details to be recorded before they disappear. Police can then draw on those details to help assess the risk and locate the person safely.
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Veterans and serving personnel can register themselves, while family members and friends can also provide information about someone they are concerned for. The information must be submitted before a person goes missing, rather than once a search has begun.
Details are held confidentially and securely by Safe and Found Online, a social enterprise that supports vulnerable people who may be at risk of going missing. Police can only access the information once someone has been reported missing.
The Forcer Protocol is named in memory of Lance Corporal Alan Forcer, who took his own life after going missing in 2020. It was founded by his former wife, Claire Lilly, and their son, Josh.
Claire said: “Alan served in Kosovo and Northern Ireland, but like many other service personnel he struggled with mental health issues. The aim behind the Forcer Protocol is to help other personnel and their families, by identifying if a person being reported missing has an armed forces history and providing information which can help the police to find them. The South-West has a strong connection with the armed forces so I’m delighted that Devon & Cornwall Police have adopted the Protocol.”
Det Supt James Dowler, the force’s missing persons lead, said: “The more information we have about the person we’re looking for the easier it is for us to assess the risk and locate them safely. By registering that information in advance through the Forcer Protocol, vulnerable people and their loved ones are providing us with an invaluable head start when someone with a service background is reported missing. Once located, they can be signposted to the appropriate support services.”
Danny Egan, director of health and wellbeing for the Royal Marines Charity, said: “It’s great to see Devon and Cornwall making this commitment to our veterans and serving personnel. The Protocol will be a lifesaver for some of them and it’s only fitting to see it launched at CTCRM Lympstone, where our Royal Marines start their careers.”
A launch event was scheduled for the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines at Lympstone on Thursday, October 29.
Figures included with the police announcement put the veteran population of Devon and Cornwall at 79,000, with veterans accounting for 5.7 per cent of the population compared with 3.8 per cent nationally.
Also recorded were 24 suspected suicides involving serving military personnel or veterans in Devon and Cornwall between January 1, 2025, and May 14, 2026.
The Forcer Protocol is already used by other police forces and has helped locate hundreds of people, according to the announcement. The force also operates similar arrangements for children through the Philomena Protocol and people with dementia through the Herbert Protocol.
Anyone concerned about someone with an Armed Forces background who may be at risk of going missing can register details through the Forcer Protocol website. Further information about other schemes is available on the Devon & Cornwall Police website.
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