Officer poisoned by Novichok set to deliver inspirational talks

Mr Bailey was one of the first officers to attend the home of the former Russian military officer Sergei Skripal after he and his daughter Yulia had been poisoned in March 2018.

Despite wearing a protective suit, he is believed to have fallen ill after coming in contact with Novichok on the Skripal’s front door handle. Two days later he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at Salisbury District Hospital where he spent 16 days recovering.

In addition, he and his family lost their home and all their possessions, due to Novichok contamination.

Mr Bailey had attempted to resume his duties in September 2018, January 2019 and June 2020, but said he could no longer “deal with being in a police environment”.

Announcing he was leaving the force in October 2020 in a series of tweets, he said: “After 18 years in the police force I’ve had to admit defeat and accept that I can no longer do the job. I wanted to be a police officer since I was a teenager, I couldn’t envisage doing anything else, which is why this makes me so sad.

“Like most police officers, I’ve experienced my fair share of trauma, violence, upset, injury and grief. We deal with it, take it on the chin and keep going because that’s our job. But we’re still human and the impact this has shouldn’t be underestimated.

“The events in Salisbury in March 2018 took so much from me and although I’ve tried so hard to make it work, I know that I won’t find peace whilst remaining in that environment.”

Announcing his new venture on social media, Mr Bailey wrote: “I’ve signed up with Chartwell Speakers Bureau where I hope to deliver talks about nerve agent poisoning and trauma, the impact it had on my mental health and resilience and what I’ve learned about myself over the last three years. I’ll also talk about the impact an empathetic ‘family approach’ leadership style can have.”

He described the prospect of delivering the talks as “both exciting and terrifying”.

A statement on the Chartwell website said: “Mr Bailey talks about the impact that a shock like his Novichok poisoning can have on a person’s psychological health, overcoming adversity and the resilience needed to pick up and move forward, as well as the importance of mental wellbeing.

“He also discusses leadership, not only from his own experiences as a police officer but from the positive and empathetic leadership shown by his own chain of command towards him and his family in the aftermath of the Salisbury poisonings.”