THE 6TH ANNUAL PRUFOS REPORT
2007
by
Detective Constable Gary Heseltine
The details contained within this report are purely my own and do not reflect those of my Force
The 6th Annual PRUFOS Police Database Report is somewhat different in its make up to the previous ones in as much that the bulk of the new information is a direct result of documents received as a response to several Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to the MoD.
Those requests have resulted in a bundle of new documents that represent bona fide police reports. The only absence from the documents are the actual names of the officers involved which have been deleted in accordance with the Data Protection Act.
The 6th report contains 44 new cases involving 108 officers. As in other years for every year of the Database’s existence there has been a steady growth of around 100 officers every twelve months.
NEW CASES
1966
1. 0300 hours. Between Potters Hill and Bristol Lulsgate Airport, Avon and Somerset. PC LESTER STENNER and a colleague were driving along a quiet road when suddenly they saw an oval shaped UFO approximately 100 feet off the ground above the road ahead. At the same time the object appeared the engine of the police vehicle died as did the headlights. Also the streetlamps lining the road went out. The object just appeared and remained motionless for about 10 seconds when it disappeared. As soon as the object had gone the headlights, street lighting and engine came on. The officers described the object as being around 100 yards wide by 50 feet and made no noise whatsoever. The officers did not report the incident fearing ridicule. UFO CLASSIFICATION – CE1 (CLOSE ENCOUNTER 1ST KIND/EM). On Duty sighting. 2 Officers. Source: The PRUFOS Police Database.
1976
2. 0215 hours. Winter. Crofton, Wakefield, West Yorkshire. PC PATRICK TUNNEY was checking on a couple of shops during the early hours of a winter’s morning when he noticed three green lights approaching from around a mile away. His first thoughts were that it was a low flying aircraft. Then he became conscious that there was absolutely no sound. The lights were horizontal as they flew toward him at an altitude of only 200 feet. When the lights were approximately 200 yards from his position they suddenly banked to the left in total silence and sped off an amazing burst of acceleration. At their closest point the officers described the lights as green spheres each the size of a car. UFO CLASSIFICATION – CE1 (CLOSE ENCOUNTER 1ST KIND). On Duty sighting. 1 Officer. Source: The PRUFOS Police Database.
1987
3. 0300 hours. 21/06/1987. Stonehenge, Wiltshire. 12 uniformed officers including PC PHIL HUTCHINGS were guarding the monument for the Summer Solstice observed a bright white UFO that crossed the sky making a large number of right angled turns. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). On Duty sighting. 12 officers. Source: The PRUFOS Police Database.
4. 0310 hours. 23/10/1987. Ford End near Chelmsford. Two uniformed officers observed 2 bright lights in the clear night sky. There was no sound and they made erratic vertical and horizontal movements. There was no discernable shape or structure seen as they moved in a south-westerly direction. The officers observed the UFOs for approximately five minutes. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT)
On Duty sighting. 2 Officers. Source: FOI documentation.
1988
5. 0620 hours. 31/01/1988. Manchester, Greater Manchester.
A uniform police officer observed a bright stationary UFO over the beach at Manchester Airport. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). On Duty sighting. 1 Officer. Source: FOI Documentation.
6. 1845 hours. 06/02/1988. Telford. Following a report by a member of the public five uniformed police officers observed a UFO over Telford town centre. The object had green, yellow and blue lights and initially moved fast across the sky before it become stationary over the town centre. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). On Duty sighting. 5 Officers. Source: FOI Documentation.
7. 0003 hours. 19/05/1988. Cramond Island. Pentland Hills, Scotland. An on duty uniformed officer observed one static white light and four occulting yellow lights above the ski slopes above Pentland Hills. This sighting followed observations of three objects by two members of the public. There was good visibility and no low cloud. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). On Duty sighting. 1 Officer. Source: FOI Documentation.
8. 0125 hours. 26/07/1988. Harden Moor near Keighley, West Yorkshire. Two uniformed police officers observed a single bright white light for 3-4 seconds on Harden Moor initially at ground level approximately 400-800 yards from their vehicle. It was seen near some high voltage power lines. The object was seen to drop below the officers vision when it entered a valley. UFO CLASSIFICATION – CE1 (CLOSE ENCOUNTER 1ST KIND).
On Duty sighting. 2 Officers. Source: FOI Documentation.
9. 2305 hours. 14/08/1988. Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. Four white lights with red at their centre were seen by at least five officers a mile south-east of Mansfield town centre. The weather was clear at the time of the sighting that lasted 15-30 seconds. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). On Duty sighting. 5 Officers. FOI Documentation.
10. 1100 hours. 16/08/1988. Toomebridge, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland. A Constable saw a silver coloured UFO from the police station in Toomebridge. He observed the object for an hour visually and with the aid of binoculars. Several other constables in different areas nearby also observed the UFO. UFO CLASSIFICATION – DD (DAYLIGHT DISC). On Duty sighting. 3 Officers. Source: FOI Documentation.
11. 1800 hours. 17/08/1988. Warrington, Cheshire. Two uniformed officers from the Knutsford Motorway unit observed a round object approximately 15 feet in diameter. On each quarter of the sphere was a protruding leg. The UFO was black in colour with light grey flashes or windows on the top. No noise could be heard above the road traffic. The object passed directly over the police car. It was observed for 10 minutes. UFO CLASSIFICATION – CE1 (CLOSE ENCOUNTER 1ST KIND). On Duty sighting. 2 Officers. Source: FOI Documentation.
12. 2330 hours. 24/09/1988. Bordaduabh near Campbeltown, Scotland. Several members of the public and a Special Constable observed three to four stationary objects over Kildranna Sound, north of Loch Luca, nine miles north of Campbeltown four 40 minutes. The objects were generally stationary and then would move slowly. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). On Duty sighting. 1 Officer. FOI Documentation.
13. 0345 hours. 27/10/1988. Ramsgate, Kent. At least three police officers observed a single bright light over Ramsgate as it moved west to east. The weather at the time of the sighting was overcast. The officers saw the object from the locations of Ramsgate and Deal. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). On Duty sighting. 3 Officers. FOI Documentation.
14. 2235-2240 hours. 31/10/1988. East Grinstead, Sussex. Four police officers observed two objects that were flying in formation as they travelled east to west over East Grinstead. The UFOs were seen for five minutes. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). On Duty sighting. 2 Officers. FOI Documentation.
15. 0745 hours. 10/12/1988. Hessle near Hull, Humberside. A total of five police officers and several civilians observed a glowing cloud shaped UFO as it crossed the sky above Hessle. The object was first through binoculars and appeared totally silent. UFO CLASSIFICATION – DD (DAYLIGHT DISC). On Duty sighting. On Duty sighting. 5 Officers. Source: FOI Documentation.
16. 0635 hours. 17/12/1988. Sunderland, Tyne and Wear. Initially reported by a member of the public a number of police officers on the early turn observed circular bright light that at times flashed red and blue. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). On Duty sighting. 6 Officers. Source: FOI Documentation.
17. 1135 hours. 20/12/1988. Bishop Auckland. Two uniformed officers in different parts of Bishop Auckland observed a UFO above the town. UFO CLASSIFICATION – DD (DAYLIGHT DISC). On Duty sighting. 2 Officers. Source: FOI documentation.
18. 2355 hours. 20/12/1988. Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. A police officer observed a very bright star-like object with a black dot at its front that was seen low on the horizon against a clear sky. The UFO was seen for approximately 20 seconds. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). On Duty sighting. 1 Officer. Source: FOI Documentation.
19. 2350-2358 hours. 20/12/88. Harrogate, Barton and Richmond. Over this short period five uniformed officers in different geographical areas of the North (Harrogate, Barton and Richmond) reported seeing a bright UFO for several seconds at a time. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). On Duty sighting. 7 Officers. Source: FOI documentation.
1989
20. 2048-2330 hours. 20/10/1989. Hapton near Accrington. 38 members of the public and 4 uniformed police officers observed a round shaped UFO that had nine lights around its circumference. In the middle of the object was a single orange light. A mist surrounded the object that was seen against a clear sky. It moved slowly and erratically across the sky. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). On Duty sighting. 4 Officers. Source: FOI Documentation.
21. 2230 hours. 30/06/1989. Tottenham Lane, London. Two police officers observed 12 lights directly above Hornsey police station. The lights were described as being quite large but not too bright. They made repeatedly circular patterns in the sky above them for approximately 15 minutes. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). On Duty sighting. 2 Officers. FOI Documentation.
22. 0145 hours. 02/08/1989. Kings Lynn, Norfolk. Two uniformed police officers observed four small white lights as they moved across an almost clear sky above Kings Lynn. The lights were moving in an erratic manner and constantly fading and brightening. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). On Duty sighting. 2 Officers. Source: FOI Documentation.
23. 1830 hours. 31/10/1989. Ashington, Northumberland. Initially reported by a member of the public a police constable also observed two objects that were approximately 40 feet apart that were bright white in colour. They were seen against a clear sky. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). On Duty sighting. 1 Officer. Source: FOI Documentation.
1990
24. 0244 hours. 08/04/1990. Madeley near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. Two unformed police officers observed a round blue flashing UFO on the M6 motorway hovering over Waltons Wood, Madeley at an altitude of 500 feet. Seen moving in a steady motion in a circular pattern around the wood. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). On Duty sighting. 2 Officers. Source: FOI Documentation.
25. 2000 hours. 12/07/1990. Trafalgar Square, London. Several police officers observed a shimmering round shaped UFO above Trafalgar Square, London. They estimated that the object was 5-10 feet in diameter. Initially reported by a member of the public who apparently took photos of the object using a 200 metre lens. UFO CLASSIFICATION – DD (DAYLIGHT DISC). On Duty sighting. 4 Officers. Source: FOI Documentation.
26. 2100-2200 hours. 02/08/1990. Hevingham, Norfolk. A green/white light with a redish glow underneath. It was seen low on the horizon moving slowly across the sky left to right for an hour. It was seen by a member of the public and the local village police constable. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). On Duty sighting. 1 Officer. Source: FOI Documentation.
27. 2305-2330 hours. 03/11/1990. Carlisle, Cumbria. Two uniformed police officers observed three objects seen in a ‘V’ formation that were bright white in colour and moved in an erratic manner as they moved across the sky. There was no noise associated with the lights. The sky was clear with moving cloud. The police were initially alerted to the sighting by a member of the public. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT)
On Duty sighting. 2 Officers. Source: FOI Documentation.
28. 2100 hours. 07/11/1990. Perton, Wolverhampton. A West Bromwich police officer observed two large delta shaped UFOs each with 3-5 lights. He was able to see the objects through binoculars. They were seen against clear skies holding a steady movement across the sky. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT)
On Duty sighting. 1 Officer. Source: FOI Documentation.
29. 2156-2230 hours. 23/12/1990. Tamworth and Coventry. Following a number of reports by members of the public two police officers including an Inspector observed in different areas a large luminous orange UFO in the skies above Tamworth and Coventry. There was good visibility as the object travelled in a north-east to south-west direction. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). On Duty sighting. 2 Officers. Source: FOI Documentation.
1991
30. 0210-0250 hours. 08/01/1991. Seavington St Mary near Yeovil, Somerset. A uniformed police officer saw a single bright object that flashed white, red and blue that was stationary above Seavington St Mary. The object was observed four 40 minutes. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). On Duty sighting. 1 Officer. FOI Documentation.
31. 2010 hours. 27/03/1991. Shoeburyness, Southend, Essex. Two on duty officers in a stationary police vehicle observed a single circular bright white light above Shoeburyness for 90 minutes. The object was seen slowly moving across the sky westwards with no noise heard. They reported the sighting to Southend police control and to Southend Airport. There several members in the Control Tower also observed the UFO. UFO CLASSIFICATION – DD (DAYLIGHT DISC). On Duty sighting. 2 Officers. FOI Documentation.
32. 0322 hours. 24/09/1991. Hull, Humberside. Three uniformed police officers observed a bright hovering over Howdale Road and the junction of Linnet Drive. There was excellent visibility at the time of the sighting. The UFO then began to move off in a south-east direction. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). On Duty sighting. 3 Officers. FOI Documentation.
33. 0719 hours. 21/12/1991. Dagenham, London. A bright green ball shaped object was seen briefly as it passed over Dagenham. The sky was clear where the UFO was seen and was initially seen by a member of the public before a police constable at Enfield police station saw the same thing. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT)
On Duty sighting. 1 Officer. Source: FOI Documentation.
2001
34. 0635 hours. 11/08/2001. South Shields, Tyneside. Ex RAF airman PC R CAMPBELL observed a cigar shaped UFO over the town. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). On Duty Sighting. 1 Officer. Source: FOI Document.
2002
35. 0254 hours. 17/10/2002. Hull, Humberside. An on duty officer based at Hessle Police Station saw a UFO over the town. A further officer in the police helicopter also observed the object. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). On Duty sighting. 4 Officers. Source: FOI Document.
2003
36. 2130 hours. May 2003. A59 between Skipton and Bolton Abbey, North Yorkshire. Whilst driving a traffic car the officer observed a bright white light above a hill as he drove on the A59 between Skipton and Bolton Abbey. The onboard forward facing video camera captured a UFO that appeared to appear from nowhere and intermittently glow brightly. The officer was so intrigued that the camera captured him slowing down noticeably to watch the object that after approximately disappears from you. The Officer remarked that the light was clearly made up of a packed cluster of small, very bright lights. The officer is was adamant that the object was not a searchlight or an aircraft on afterburner. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). On Duty Sighting. 1 Officer. Source: HBCC Research.
37. 0220 hours. 17/11/2003. Bromley, Kent. Following a report by members of the public a uniformed police confirmed the sighting of 20-30 lights in the sky. The police helicopter was asked if they could see the lights and they confirmed they could. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). On Duty sighting. 2 Officers. Source: FOI Document.
2005
38. 2130 hours. 07/08/2005. Kirby, Merseyside. A traffic crew observed four rectangles equally spaced out that looked like bright lights. One of the officers filmed the objects on his mobile phone however only one black square could be seen moving in the shot. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). On Duty sighting. 2 Officers. Source: FOI Document.
2007
39. 2153-2157 hours. 15/09/2007. Yeovil, Somerset. An off duty sighting by Special Constable PC STEPHEN MAINS. Having gone outside his home to have a cigarette he noticed a bright orange object moving slowly across the sky to the east. As it did so he then saw that there were two other orange lights that appeared to be moving in formation nearby. All three objects then passed directly over his home at which point the officer called his wife to observe the objects who corroborated the sighting. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). Off Duty sighting. 1 Officer. Source: The PRUFOS Police Database.
40. 18/10/2007. Yeovil, Somerset. A Special Constable, PC STEPHEN MAINS and a regular PC observed a single bright orange light moving over the town centre. The object then stopped and began to become brighter and then began to climb higher into the sky until it disappeared from view. There appeared to be no noise associated with the object. The duration of the sighting was approximately 3 minutes. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). On Duty sighting. 2 Officers. Source: The PRUFOS Police Database.
OFF DUTY SIGHTINGS
1988
41. 1845-1940 hours. 29/01/1988. Alton. A uniformed officer observed a bright conical shaped UFO above Alton. The object had a tail and was seen for 55 minutes. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). Off Duty sighting. 1 Officer. Source: FOI documentation.
42. 1930 hours. 18/02/1988. Bradford, West Yorkshire. An off duty police officer and his wife and children were travelling along Toller Lane, Bradford towards Bingley when they observed several white lights in the sky travelling in the same direction. The object was described as being the size of a small light aircraft. The UFO was then seen to make and abrupt turn and accelerate at high speed away from them. They could not discern any noise above that of the vehicle they were travelling in. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). Off Duty sighting. 1 Officer. Source: FOI Documentation.
1990
43. 2010 hours. 02/09/1990. Edmonton. An off duty special constable was in his garden when he observed steel grey spherical shaped UFO in the distance. The object moved smoothly across the sky and then accelerated away at speed. Seen for 20 seconds in a clear sky. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). Off Duty sighting. 1 Officer. Source: FOI Documentation.
2007
44. 2113 hours. 11/04/2007. Crofton, Wakefield, West Yorkshire. PRUFOS Author DC GARY HESELTINE observed a white sphere approaching his home from an easterly direction. The object was later seen through binoculars. The sphere did not display any navigation lights and there was no noise. The object was also seen briefly witnessed by officer’s fiancée. UFO CLASSIFICATION – NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT). Off Duty sighting. 1 Officer. Source – Author and Founder of PRUFOS Police Database.
That concludes the 6th Annual PRUFOS Police Database report for 2007.
44 new cases involving 108 officers. 39 On Duty sightings and 5 Off Duty sightings.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE 6TH PRUFOS POLICE DATABASE
BASIC STATISTICS OF THE NEW CASES IN THE 6TH REPORT
Of the 44 cases there are 4 Close Encounter of the 1st Kind.
Of the 44 cases 5 are Daylight Discs.
Of the 44 cases 35 are Nocturnal Light.
Of the 44 cases 6 involve sightings with high multiple officer corroboration.
Of the 44 cases 14 involve multiple UFOs.
ANALYSIS OF THE FULL REPORT
When this year’s totals are added to last year’s tally the total number is 256 cases between 1901-2007 involving 608 British police officers.
There are 217 On Duty cases on the database involving a total of 564 British police officers.
There are 39 Off Duty cases on the database involving a total of 44 British police officers.
(NOTE: I do not claim to be a statistician so much of the following data is based on what interests me the most).
1. After six years of research 73% of the ‘on duty’ cases are multiple officer
sightings.
2. The top three multiple officer cases are:
a. April 1984. Stanmore, Middlesex, near RAF Bentley Prior. Up to 20 officers
involved.
b. March 30-31 1993 South Wales, Devon and Cornwall involving 19 officers.
c. 28/08/77 Windermere, Cumbria involving 17 officers.
3. 19 ‘on duty’ cases involve 5 or more officers.
4. The five peak years for sightings are:
1988—29 cases.
1967—20 cases.
1980—14 cases.
1978—13 cases.
1977—10 cases.
5. The county in England with the heaviest concentration of police UFO sightings is West Yorkshire with 30 cases recorded on the database. In joint second place are North Yorkshire and London with 14 cases each. Wales and Scotland have been dealt with collectively with 14 and 9 cases respectively.
6. The top five UFO Shapes are: Light 105
Sphere 26
Cigar 21
Triangular 13
Saucer 13
7. UFO Classification breakdown: Category – On Duty:
NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT) – 183
DD (DAYLIGHT DISC) – 10
CE1 (CLOSE ENCOUNTER 1ST KIND) – 25
CE2 (CLOSE ENCOUNTER 2ND KIND) – 3
CE3 (CLOSE ENCOUNTER 3RD KIND) – 1
8. UFO Classification breakdown: Category – Off Duty:
NL (NOCTURNAL LIGHT) – 22
DD (DAYLIGHT DISC) – 4
CE1 (CLOSE ENCOUNTER 1ST KIND) – 12
CE2 (CLOSE ENCOUNTER 2ND KIND) – 0
CE3 (CLOSE ENCOUNTER 3RD KIND) – 2
9. There are 34 mulitple UFO cases.
10. There are 2 cases that involve USOs (Underwater/Surface Object).
11. There are 6 cases that involve radar confirmation or radar visual.
12. UFO Characteristics: I intend to do more research in this area in the form of graphical charts/spreadsheets but already some interesting aspects stand out. For example when one examines the ‘On Duty’ CE1 (CLOSE ENCOUNTER 1ST KIND) of the 25 cases in this category, 15 display the UFO characteristic of being silent when being observed i.e. 60%.
13. UFO Shape breakdown in CE1 (CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF 1ST KIND) category:
Cigar 7
Light 6
Oval 4
Saucer 4
Diamond 1
Bell 1
Fiery Cross 1
Shape change – Cigar/Sphere 1
14. Multple officer breakdown in CE1 (CLOSE ENCOUNTER 1ST KIND) category:
Of the 25 cases in this category 17 are mulitple police officer witness sightings i.e. 68%.
*Note – the UFO Classifications are based on Dr J Allen Hynek’s classification criteria in his book ‘The UFO Experience’ (1972). I have extended the range of CE1 cases from Hynek’s 150 metres (distance from the witness to the UFO) to
400 metres for the purpose of this analysis.
*EM = Electro Magnetic Effects
*INT = Interaction between UFO and observer
Editor’s note: WOW.
