The settlement of a considerable six-figure sum, agreed towards the end of Khizra’s employment tribunal case with no formal admission of liability, reflects the profound harm experienced by an officer who dedicated more than two decades of her life to the service.

Settlements like these might close a case, but they don’t close the issue. Forces can’t see them as the price of doing business: they must confront with candour what they say about their culture, leadership, and duty of care. 

Every officer knows the mental toll that policing can take: the trauma, the scrutiny, the impossible demands. But they also have the right to expect that their force will protect and deliver its duty of care to the highest standard. There is simply too much evidence across the service that this does not happen anywhere near as uniformly as it needs to.

Mukund Krishna, CEO of the Police Federation, said:

"I want to thank Khizra for her service to police and to neighbourhoods across the West Midlands, and wish her the very best for the future.

Khizra's story must not be treated as isolated or as a closed chapter. It must be a catalyst for change: for a culture that puts people before process, that recognises the psychological reality of modern policing, and that values honesty over defensiveness.

Our support for Khizra right through this process shows the Federation we are becoming: one that stands up against wrongdoing, puts members first, and fiercely pursues a just outcome.

We will be using the collective voice of more than 145,000 members to demand that the recently announced Police Leadership Commission actively considers the broader culture and leadership issues that this case exemplifies."