Police Firearms Officers Association Ltd

The Police Firearms Officers Association Ltd (PFOA), a UK-wide charity founded in 2009 by serving and retired Metropolitan Police firearms officers and registered in 2010, exists to enhance the efficiency of police firearms services while addressing the physical, emotional, and financial hardships faced by UK firearms officers, Taser-trained officers, associated staff, and their families. With a distinctive focus on armed policing's unique traumas and risks, PFOA delivers confidential, rapid welfare support through a 24/7 helpline, over 200 specialist counsellors offering therapies like CBT, EMDR, NLP, physiotherapy, and trauma coaching, plus short-term financial aid and respite breaks. Apolitical and peer-led, it collaborates with bodies like the National Police Chiefs’ Council and Police Federation, having distributed over £1.4 million in aid since inception, while investing in initiatives like the Museum of Armed Policing to educate youth on knife and gun crime.

PFOA prioritizes mental health rehabilitation, post-incident recovery, financial hardship relief, and resilience-building for the armed policing community, funding direct individual interventions rather than organizational projects.

It does not accept unsolicited applications from external charities or organizations—support is exclusively for individual members and direct beneficiaries via internal referrals, phone, or email, assessed rapidly (often within 24-48 hours) on a rolling basis with no deadlines. Grants are small and targeted (£hundreds to thousands), covering therapies, respite, and emergencies; no core, project, or capital funding for groups. UK-wide with no income/size/geographic restrictions for eligibles, PFOA stands out for its sector-specific expertise, holistic peer-professional network, and unmatched speed in crisis response, differentiating it from general welfare providers.