Essex Police Federation Backs Harper’s Law Campaign

11 September 2020

Essex Police Federation is throwing its weight behind a campaign which could lead to criminals convicted of killing emergency services workers spending the rest of their lives in jail.

The ‘Harper’s Law’ campaign has been launched by Lissie Harper, the widow of Thames Valley Police officer PC Andrew Harper, who was killed on duty in August 2019.

The perpetrators – Henry Long, Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole– were convicted of manslaughter but cleared of murder.

Long was jailed for 16 years, and Bowers and Cole for 13 years.

Backing Lissie’s campaign, Essex Police Federation Chair Laura Heggie said sentences that match the severity of the crime are needed to act as a proper deterrent.

Laura said: “It’s an honourable thing that Lissie and Andrew’s family are doing to seek to bring about a change in the law in memory of Andrew.

“We fully support the campaign. I signed up to it, and I know many others have. It is needed as a deterrent.

“Emergency workers are out there trying to help people. It’s the main part of their role, and they shouldn’t run the risk whilst doing that of being killed.

“If someone deliberately kills an emergency worker, then they should face the full weight of the law in relation to it.

“There are a lot of other jobs that people could choose to go into that are much safer. But people decide to do this, and it sounds like a cliché because it’s to make things better and to look after people, but that is the truth, and they do it for the right reasons.

“They should be given that protection.”