Help me to become the UK's champion on Law & Order

My name is Norman Brennan;

Ladies and Gentlemen; Britain Urgently needs an Independent Champion on Law and Order and I want to apply for that job;

I have been involved in law and order and campaigning for victim care and public safety since I was 19yrs of age when I became a London police officer; I am now 65yrs; 31 of those years I was as a serving police officer and worked in both uniform and as a detective; during that time I helped save lives shared in victims grief and the publics despair of at times being failed; in sad days I also dealt with dozens of suicides and passed on the most dreadful of news;

Things have never been perfect in policing and law and order but I have to state that I now see the best police service in the world broken and lost; I also see a criminal justice system in the same state; I see victims of crime hurt lost and broken often seeing crimes not investigated with many left with no more than a crime number and that is truly shameful and unacceptable in equal measures; I see the public too often failed; unprotected and due to knife & violent crime often live in fear as do many communities throughout Britain

I am ashamed at what Britain has become and what has happened has to be tackled challenged and reversed; victims of crime need to be cared for and the public protected; we need a people's Champion to stand up speak out campaign and highlight what has gone wrong and how we can deal with these very serious issues; I'd like to apply for that job as we need to repair damage of what has gone wrong;

I have been one of Britains leading knife campaigners for over 30yrs after I was stabbed in the chest whilst arresting an armed burglar in London in the early hours of a summer morning; I very nearly died and can state it was truly horrible and has had a devastating effect on my life ever since; as I know it does to so many other victims affected by knife crime; I can clearly remember my uniform being cut off in the hospital Emergency room believing that I was possibly dying.

Whilst doctors nurses and machines surrounded me and a nurse held my hand I felt so lonely as a doctor put a plastic probe into my deep wound and discussed operating with a surgeon who had joined the large group; thankfully the blade had just missed my heart and arteriesI survived. The surgeon told my Chief Constable that the blade had hit a rib and deflected away from my heart had it gone the other way PC Brennan would not have survived; (the 2nd life changing assault I discuss below)

These attacks eventually broke me and I was diagnosed with PTSD and was allowed to take 6 months unpaid leave to work for charity and decide whether to return to Policing; I thereafter picked up the broken bits of my life and put myself back together as best as possible and thereafter dedicated my life to helping support victims of knife and other serious crime. I returned to policing and set up a charity to help families bereaved by homicide and to give victims of crime a voice via campaigning and media interviews;

Too many parents are planning funerals instead of bright futures for their children; this has to stop and I have plans to tackle this crime that has become a scourge across Britain;

I am only too aware of the devastation of crime and how it hurts and affects so many people; for 31yrs daily my colleagues and I dealt with such victims witnesses and the public alike and I promise we did out best to support and care for them all;

Only weeks before I was stabbed I had just recovered from a very serious assault after attempting to arrest 3 pickpockets; I received serious head Injuries and was rushed to Intensive care; I remained in hospital for almost 2 weeks and underwent an operation for reconstruction surgery; over the following 3 years I had two further operations for reconstruction surgery which resulted in over a year off duty sick; my final operation was when I finally retired after serving 31yrs;

I absolutely understand what its like to be a victim of serious crime the pain that people suffer physically mentally and psychologically and yes its horrible; PTSD takes one to very dark places & I'll admit I've been there many times; I've managed to lock the darkness away in a locked; on a down day I open the door & see that life is so precious and so very short for some;

When I retired I had received nine commendations for bravery and outstanding police work;

So what's my background and experience? Well as can be seen I was a police officer for much of my life; during throughout my childhood I grew up in children's homes in London; I lived with children from all backgrounds and saw so many broken lives this was probably the driving force behind me joining the police aged 19yrs;

During my 31yrs service I took two 2 year year unpaid career breaks (4 years in total) to work full time & Free with families bereaved by homicide; I selected this offence as it was something that I had so nearly suffered and wanted the challenge to work with represent and support such families;

Over the past 30 years I've met and represented many hundreds of such families each and everyone whether well known or not were equal in their need of care support; between 1994 -2004 my small team helped 1,238 such families I still have the stats and hundreds of their files; I promise we were good and we met and looked after so many lovely but broken people;

A few of such families are as follows;

I was the spokesperson advisor and supporter for Lesley Ann Downeys family Ann and Alan West, Lesley was murdered by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley in 1964 and buried on Saddleworth Moor

I was a spokesman and supported Denise Fergus the mother of James Bulger aged just 2yrs who was murdered by Jon Venables and Robert Thompson both were just 10yrs of age;

I worked with and supported the family of Sarah Payne aged 8yrs who was abducted and murdered in West Sussex;

I worked with and supported the family of Damilola Taylor aged 10yrs who was stabbed to death in Peckham in 2000;

I worked with supported and advised Ann and Charlie Ming who's daughter Julie Hogg 22yrs was murdered in Billingham in 1989; it was this case that changed the double jeopardy laws in Britain;

I worked with and supported Tracey Morgan a Stalking Victim whose case through her tireless work introduced the Protection from Harassment Act Law of 1997;

Achievements

The Police Review Magazine the largest circulated and most read within policing described me as being as 'Probably The Best known face and voice in British Policing' after almost a third of the police service signed my Protect The Protectors petition that certainly Influenced the Government at the time to implement much of the protective equipment that todays police service are equipped with;

One of the first campaigns that I launched and spearheaded was to get a separate room where victims and witnesses could sit away from those who had attacked or persecuted them; the first such room was first pioneered at the Old Bailey and are now in every court throughout Britain;

The charity that I headed campaigned to allow victims or family members to have a voice to give an account on the devastation that a crime had had on them and their families; this has been implemented and known today as a 'Victim Impact Statement' we worked very closely with Lord Falconer on this project;

The Double Jeopardy law was overturned that now allows a person once acquitted of murder to be retried should further substantial evidence be forthcoming; Two of Stephen Lawrence killers were the first to be tried and convicted for murder under this change in law; as earlier stated I worked with and advised the family who achieved this change;

Over the past 35yrs I have campaigned tirelessly for victims of knife crime and public protection taking part in thousands of media interviews; often advising the public of the law and procedures; I've also campaigned to ensure that the police get the best protection so that they are able to protect themselves; the public/victims alike;

My Philosophy is its not what you have achieved in the past but what you do and achieve today and thereafter to keep the public safe and to ensure that victims of crime get the best help/ support/ protection and Investigation that the police can offer;

Yes we have a broken police service and criminal justice system and it needs to be repaired; the public need a Champion and an Independent law and order campaigner to champion their needs; I will offer that under the slogan 'Voice for Victims - Communities against crime and I yes I want to apply for that job;

Independent campaigners like myself who are unfunded are prevented from doing a lot more than we do as financial support is essential;

I have therefore put my hand out to ask the public for financial support in order to work full time and carry out the aims and objectives of tackling the scourge of knife crime in Britain give the public and victims a strong voice; I intend to put together a small and formidable team and that will cost a lot of money that sadly I just don't have;

If I can raise sufficient funds by the New Year I will publish and launch the Ten Year plan in January that I have spent years putting together; it is a plan that will revolutionise victim care and public protection and I will also work with anyone and everyone to help children and youths turn their lives around as the less offenders we have the less that victims will suffer;

I'm also aware that too many children are lost have no hope or values even of life as we all see only too often after they have stabbed and murdered another child and as I pointed out there are too many parents planning funerals rather than bright futures for their children;

Any financial support whatever you can offer/afford is desperately needed and in return I will put myself forward to be your champion on law and order; plus whatever time I have left I will dedicate to the Ten year plan to ensure victims are cared for and the public can live their lives without fear but in safety;

I promise you that no one else can offer you more than what I'm prepared to do & have already done; that's why I have decided to share with you some personal details about who I am what I've done and what I hope to achieve for you;

I know that I'm not everyones cup of tea but I speak out strongly for what I believe and didn't join twitterX or do media interviews for cuddles or adoration; I promised way back that I'll cut through the crap we're often fed anded tell you the truth as I see things and I hope ive kept my promise;

Thank You

Ps The 10yr Plan? Will include buying a National resource centre; which will have a Campaign and Media department; Consulting rooms for those suffering PTSD; Pro Bona Legal advice; Counselling/referral to specialist agencies; social networking g with those who have suffered been helped and go on to share best practices that worked for them; buy retreats in quiet calm locations around Britain where bereaved families can go at their time of need; Retired Police Senior Investigation and family liaison officers will offer their ongoing expertise; as after Murder trials such families lose such people as they work on other current cases; I could go on....

I am already working on an all singing and dancing Website that will give victims & the public Law information all the self and current help groups/ the most up to date crime prevention advice (I have contacts of all such experts) a forum where I can link into every face group in Britain to help police appeals in major crime Nationally or in certain areas; a memorial page for all homicide families and much much more;

I'm unsure if the good lord will give me the 10yrs that the transformation will take But I promise to give you World Class Victim care and a most formidable spokesperson and campaigner on Law & Order and the team I select will give of the same; So for once I am asking ask for your help!

Thank you for reading my story, any support you could offer will be greatly appreciated.

Norman