EX-police officers who were injured on duty are taking legal action against the Northern Ireland Policing Board, in a row over pensions.
The class action lawsuit was lodged on behalf of nine officers at Belfast High Court on Thursday.
They believe that hundreds of other ex-officers could be affected.
Speaking to The Irish News, several officers described the “hell” they experienced through trauma and injuries in their career.
For those forced to leave their jobs early, an Injury on Duty (IOD) pension can be awarded with the amount depending on the level of physical and mental injury.
It is understood this is awarded from the date of a medical assessment provided by the Policing Board rather than from when the officers left the service.
But the officers taking legal action say this short changes them considerably.
Solicitor Jarlath Faloon said the nine officers he was representing have been waiting between three and as long as 20 years to resolve the issue.
After Thursday’s court session, the officers spoke on condition of anonymity.
While sharing some traumatic incidents they witnessed in their careers, they insisted that it was not pity from the public they wanted – but to hold the Policing Board accountable.
“This is not about us. It’s about the board,” said one officer of 27 years who left in 2006.
“The law says you can come back at any time and ask for an IOD pension, it should be payable from the date you left.
“That’s common sense because your injury took place in the workplace, the fact that you haven’t asked for it before is irrelevant.
“A lot of people here like myself are suffering from PTSD, we were told that wasn’t a recognised injury.
“Am I sick? Of course I am. The board are essentially saying ‘there was nothing wrong with you on the day you walked out, we’re going to pay you from the day you knocked on the door’.
“This could potentially affect hundreds of officers, maybe more. There’s currently over 3,000 IOD pensions. We’re only a small group.”
Another officer of 30 years who left in 2008 recalled how after 18 months of service he had been ambushed in his police car.
“Three months after that there was a firebomb and attempted murder at my own house, I was first at the scene of a police station where my colleagues were lying dead,” he said.
“I had coffee with three lads that morning and put them into body bags that afternoon.”
Another officer commented: “In Northern Ireland we took it home with us, it wasn’t like a soldier going to Afghanistan for six months.
“It was your life for 30 years. It was your children’s life for 30 years. Kids grew up without their parents being there and our norm was to tell lies about what you worked at, to be secretive about everything.
“It wasn’t just when you were at work, it was all the time.
“I naively thought it was about me trying to make a difference in the community.”
Another officer commented: “When you leave the service you’re no longer supported by your colleagues, that’s when you collapse.”
“Our wives and children have all been through this. Not answering the door till daddy gets his gun.
“You have to explain to a five-year-old that you’re checking under the car for bad men.
“My wife once got badly beaten up because I was recognised as a police man. That’s what you deal with.
“You come back from a holiday to find the police waiting for you, to say ‘we didn’t want to disturb your holiday, but you’re now being targeted by dissident republicans.’
“It never ends.”
The officers also criticised the long waits that young officers face today for mental health support.
“There’s 4,500 officers doing the job of more than 7,000,” one said.
“They’re exhausted, that’s why there’s a much higher leaving rate of probationers. Is it any wonder?”
They added that while the Chief Constable Jon Boutcher was “making the right noises” on the issue of officer welfare, they hoped their court action would change the Policing Board’s decision making on pensions.
A Policing Board spokesperson said: “As this is ongoing litigation, the board cannot comment at this stage.”