Tribute to Jim McNulty 1948 to 2004

Jim McNulty, (COPS Founder and Director). Died Friday 1st October 2004.

This remarkable man had leukaemia for several years, refusing to allow it to control his life, and only ever referring to it as "a nuisance". He had already fought and beaten Hodgkin's disease, tonsil cancer, and skin cancer before doctors told him that the leukaemia was terminal, but he proved them wrong over and over again with his sheer determination to live.

Despite his ill health, Jim never stopped thinking of other people and how he could help them. He was determined that police officers who had paid the ultimate sacrifice should not be forgotten, and that their families should be given the support they needed, to rebuild their shattered lives.

The first part of his dream came true in 2003 when Care Of Police Survivors (COPS) was formed. The second came true on 7th September 2004 when the Scottish Police Memorial was unveiled. Jim was always the driving force behind both projects, and although they would both have probably happened in time, without him, they would not be in existence today. Jim spent the weekend at Lichfield before he died, attending a meeting of the COPS trustees. Both days were long and tiring, but his enthusiasm for COPS and the future never wavered.

Jim was a small man with a cheeky smile, a quick wit, and an amazing memory for people and places. His story telling was legendary; how many of them were true we will never know, but he was certainly entertaining. He charmed everyone who met him, so much so that when he protected the Pope on his visit to Glasgow, Jim was invited to go and stay at the Vatican.

Jim was a visionary and a pioneer of online email discussion groups. With email in its infancy some twenty years ago, Jim saw what a wonderful opportunity there was to bring police officers from around the world closer together. He was probably the first "online cop" in this country.

Jim always fought for what he believed in, even though that often brought him into conflict with the authorities. The email discussion group brought about a perfect example of that, with the 'Partners in Safety' project.

In 1994 when a police officer in London was stabbed to death, Jim reported this to the police group. An American officer inquired why the officer hadn't been wearing his body armour, and was horrified to learn that British police officers were not routinely supplied with protective clothing. This officer immediately offered his old set of body armour to any British police officer who wanted it. Jim pointed out that one set of body armour would not change anything, and within days he was inundated with offers from all over America, of second-hand body armour. Jim persuaded Richard Branson to fly the armour over to Britain free of charge, and a group of dedicated volunteers on both sides of the Atlantic sorted, packed and distributed the armour. The 'powers that be' were not happy, and great pressure was put on Jim to stop the project, but he would not back down. As long as British officers wanted this protection, he would continue to supply it, until police forces routinely issued it themselves. For more information about this historic project, click here

In March 1996 the world was shocked when tragedy came to Dunblane; sixteen primary school children and their teacher were murdered. Once again, messages poured in to the police computer group. Jim painstakingly collated these messages, and persuaded a company to provide him free of charge with some top quality paper, as well as a printing company to publish the messages in a book which became the Dunblane Book of Remembrance. Jim delivered this book to Dunblane Primary School on behalf of the emergency services world-wide; a further copy was also given to Dunblane Cathedral, and another is in the library of the Scottish Police College. In May 1997, the Readers Digest published the story. The Book Of Remembrance is stunning in its simplicity. It was created with love, and you cannot help but be moved by it.

The Scottish Police Memorial was probably Jim's most impressive achievement. It progressed from an idea to reality in just eighteen months, thanks to the support of police organisations and the Director of the Scottish Police College. Jim was determined that officers who had lost their lives in the line of duty should never be forgotten, and this was demonstrated also in his love for his great uncle, Willie Angus. Willie was awarded the VC in 1915 for a heroic rescue in France. Jim as a child spent many hours with his uncle and became fascinated with this quiet, unassuming man. Willie died when Jim was only twelve but he never forgot him, and over the years collected any memorabilia he could find in relation to him and to other VC recipients, and set up a web site in his honour, which you can visit at www.forvalour.com.

Jim achieved everything in life that he wanted to achieve. His partner Christine, and co-founder of COPS and the memorial, spent his last day with him and his children. He knew that he was nearing the end of his journey, and he was at peace with that. If there is a heaven, then there would have been a large group of people waiting to say "Thank you for remembering us".

Jim is survived by his children James and Elaine, and his beloved grandchildren Jack and Luke.