Make impersonating military service/wearing unearned medals a criminal offence

I want Parliament to make it a criminal offence for anyone to dishonestly claim to have served in the Armed Forces, or to wear military uniforms or medals they are not entitled to wear.

Serving in the Armed Forces is an honour involving sacrifice and service to our country. When people falsely claim to have served or wear uniforms and medals they have not earned, they disrespect genuine veterans and mislead the public. Current laws only cover fraud for financial gain or limited cases of unauthorised uniform use. A new offence is needed to protect the integrity of service and uphold respect for veterans.

The term ‘Stolen Valour’ is emotive and is most commonly associated with individuals wearing medals that they have not earned or been awarded. In some cases, this appears to be veterans who are enhancing their own service record, in other cases it may be individuals who have no military service at all. On some occasions, such behaviours may be associated with an attempt to deliberately defraud others for personal gain.

Serving personnel, Armed Forces veterans, and the public, are expected to adhere to the relevant laws and internal guidance regarding the wearing of medals. However, it is not currently a specific criminal offence for veterans, or the public, to wear medals to which they are not entitled.

It is an offence for a person not serving in His Majesty’s armed forces to wear the uniform of one of those forces without permission. The Uniforms Act 1894 also prevents the wearing of any dress having the appearance, or bearing any regimental or distinctive marks, of any such uniform. This does not, however, prevent individuals wearing a uniform for the purposes of a stage play or similar performance.

The Fraud Act 2006 (and common law fraud offences in Scotland) makes it an offence for someone to fraudulently wear uniforms or medals, or to pretend to be, or have been, in the Armed Forces, if it amounts to false representation for financial gain to themselves, or to disadvantage another person. This offence carries a sentence of up to 10 years’ imprisonment.

Where it is suspected that an individual maybe wearing a medal, or uniform, to which they are not entitled, in an attempt to defraud others, it is a matter for investigation by either the civil police, or the service police if the individual is subject to service law. In such cases, the MOD may be asked to provide information relating to an individual’s service record.

Since 2009, it has not been a specific service law offence for an individual to wear medals or decorations that they were never awarded. This change in the law was a result of the enactment of the Armed Forces Act 2006, which repealed section 197 of the Army Act 1955 and section 197 of the Air Force Act 1955, in which the offence was specified.

The MOD’s official position is that only those who were awarded medals are entitled to wear them. This applies to Service Persons under Joint Service Publication (JSP) 761, at para 12.25, but it does not extend to members of the public as it is an internal policy only.

Ministry of Defence