'Vehicle-ramming police officers is almost becoming a trend'

17 March 2025

A former Sussex Police officer who was severely injured when he was hit by a motorcycle has spoken about the long-lasting effects.

David Elliott, known in the force by his nickname, Billy, was speaking after new figures showed that hundreds of UK police officers were injured in deliberate vehicle-ramming incidents last year.

According to a Freedom of Information request, last year 244 officers reported injuries after being involved in incidents where police vehicles were deliberately rammed. This is up from the figures in 2023 (219 officers) and 2022 (200 officers).

But Sussex Police was one of 19 forces that was unable to supply figures of how many of their officers were injured in this way – suggesting the real figures are much higher.

Last month Billy was medically retired from Sussex Police, as he was suffering from PTSD. He is still in pain from the injuries he sustained in the incident on 30 July 2023, when a suspect wanted for arrest failed to stop his motorbike and sped past officers at around 50mph, knocking Billy over.

Billy recalled: “The next thing I know, I saw white, and I was lying on my back. I looked round and the man was still carrying on up the road – he didn’t even look back. I looked down at my leg, and my trouser leg had been sliced open. I pulled it up, and my right leg was pretty much wide open, with shredded muscle and blood squirting everywhere.”

Billy’s sergeant, who witnessed the incident, told him: “I thought you were dead”. He explained that Billy’s leg had got caught in the peg of the motorbike, flipping him 360 degrees in the air before he landed on the ground.

Billy was taken to hospital where his leg continued to bleed for hours. The next day he underwent an operation on his leg. Billy had also damaged the rotator cuff in his shoulder and couldn’t lift his arm above his head for two months.

In addition, injured discs in his spine cause long-term back pain. Medical retirement was recommended by the force’s Occupational Health department due to Billy’s injuries, but the official reason for his medical retirement is PTSD.

Billy says he feels “let down” by the justice system. The young man who hit him with his motorbike was sentenced to three years in prison, but only served a few months inside.

Billy said: “Vehicle-ramming police officers is almost becoming a trend. People think they might gain a bit of kudos for it, and they know that the consequences aren't as severe as they should be. It's a level of self entitlement that people think they can do what they want.”