About Us
Who we are
We are a small UK based charity ran by serving and recently retired Police Officers, who understand the pressures, strains and challenges that serving as an officer on the thin blue line can create. Our trustees have served in a variety of different roles in policing. We think this gives the charity a unique understanding of the dangers of being a Police Officer, whilst also helping us understand the impact it can have on an officer’s personal and professional wellbeing.
As a charity, we are here to support Police Officers throughout the UK. Many officers join the police, due to the belief that we are here to serve and protect our communities. However, what many officers don't anticipate on joining, is that when things go wrong it can happen quickly and also on occasion go very badly. In an instance, an officer’s life can be changed forever. That routine call can leave them with life-changing injuries, or their families picking up the pieces of
losing their loved one. Yet day in, and day out, officers go to work and run towards a situation that everyone else is running away from, without a thought for their own safety. Our trustees know first-hand, that when it comes to being a Police Officer, our only real thought is that we make it home safe and well, back to our loved ones at the end of a shift.
Here at Thin Blue Line UK, we are committed in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of officers by providing free, confidential assistance and a range of additional support opportunities. Through attending national events and conferences, to awareness campaign in forces across the country, we work hard to break the stigma surrounding mental health in policing.
Our key achievements
6
Trustees
£17k
Raised last year to support officers' mental health and wellbeing who are serving on the thin blue line
600
Officers helped over the last year who have been given access to our wide range of support opportunities
13
Years supporting front line Police Officers from across the United Kingdom with their mental wellbeing
Our History
The Thin Blue Line UK was formed in 2012, in response to the brutal murders of PC Fiona Bone and PC Nicola Hughes in Manchester. The charity was founded by a serving Police Officer, who wanted to highlight to the public, the dangers police officers face and the hard decisions they often must make. The initial aim of the charity was to highlight to the public that police officers put their lives at risk every single day across the United Kingdom, being exposed to traumatic incidents, which could lead to negative impacts on their mental health and wellbeing; with some paying the ultimate sacrifice. The charity's message and work quickly spread, and the public positively responded; as the Police Officers running the charity gave a unique insight into the challenges that officers faced daily.
A small tie pin was the first product the charity helped to design and was sold to raise money for two well-established police charities, 'Care of Police Survivors UK' and 'Police Care UK'. The response to the large sales of tie pins was unexpected but helped to spread awareness and raise money for both charities, whilst in turn developing the identity of Thin Blue Line UK. Over the years the number of products the charity sells have increased, and all profits raised go directly back in to fund the charity so we can continue to support to officers' mental health and wellbeing.
In 2017 the charities first fundraising Gala Ball was held in Edinburgh. The first event although small, was a huge success, attracting sponsorship from international companies and raising nearly £10,000. Over the next two years the ball was held in Belfast and Manchester but then had to take a break for a couple of years due to the Coronavirus pandemic. During this period Police Officers had to continue working on the front line. The trustees continued to work hard, ensuring the support the charity offered was still available to officers when required online. The charity's annual ball came back strong in 2023, being held at the iconic Royal Liver Building in Liverpool, raising nearly £11,000 and reinforcing why the charities work is so important. We also held our first ever Gala Ball in Wales last year, in the capital city Cardiff.
Now in 2025, we have six trustees and are a proud partner with 'Police Charities United Kingdom'. We are excited as we now look forward to the future and the launch of our redesigned website. We are always looking at new innovative ways to raise money so we can continue to provide much-needed support to the thin blue line, please visit our fundraising pages to see more around how we can help you and you can support us.
Our Charity Trustees
Our Partnerships
We’re proud to have strong, long-standing partnerships with a number of policing organisations and private businesses.
Their continued generosity and support towards us as a charity and the thin blue line community have been invaluable and for that we’re deeply grateful.
