When Integrity Is Punished
Issy Vine on whistleblowing, retaliation, and rebuilding after the Met
When Issy Vine spoke up about wrongdoing while working as a 999 call handler for the Metropolitan Police, she did so believing the promises she had been told - that whistleblowers would be listened to, protected, and supported.
Instead, speaking out cost her almost everything.
After reporting a colleague for making a series of deeply offensive and harmful comments - including referring to a rape victim as a “slut” - Issy became the target of sustained retaliation. Despite the colleague initially being dismissed for gross misconduct, he was later reinstated on appeal. Issy was left isolated, disbelieved, and exposed within her own workplace.
The experience pushed her to breaking point.
The prolonged bullying and institutional hostility left Issy living with PTSD and a serious autoimmune condition triggered by extreme stress. Eventually, she was forced to resign to save her life. In doing so, she lost her career, her health, her financial stability, and nearly all of her possessions - selling her car and belongings simply to survive.
Issy later spoke publicly about her experience in a BBC investigation, asking a question that still echoes for many inside public institutions:
If organisations say they want whistleblowers to come forward, why are those who do so left to carry the consequences alone?
“I won’t be a scapegoat”
Issy has since begun legal action against the Metropolitan Police, alleging constructive dismissal, whistleblowing detriment, sexual harassment, and a failure to make reasonable adjustments. Her case is ongoing, with a hearing scheduled for 2027.
But rather than retreating into silence, Issy chose to turn harm into action.
Out of her experience, she founded Speak Up Now UK, a Community Interest Company created to support current and former public and emergency service workers who speak out about wrongdoing.
Speak Up Now UK exists because Issy knows firsthand what happens when internal systems fail - when reporting pathways feel unsafe and controlled by the very institutions people are raising concerns about. The organisation provides space for testimonies, peer support, and wellbeing resources, and is working towards offering financial, legal, and practical assistance to whistleblowers who are often left economically exposed.
As Issy puts it:
“Whistleblowers are not the problem. They are the solution.”
Rebuilding after retaliation
Today, Issy is working two jobs - one of them voluntary - while managing ongoing health conditions that limit how much she can do. Despite her determination, rebuilding after losing everything is an uphill battle.
Issy has launched a GoFundMe - Help Issy Rebuild After Whistleblowing in the Met Police - to help cover:
Basic living costs while she continues to recover her health
Replacement of essential items she was forced to sell
Therapy and legal costs linked to trauma recovery
The chance to rebuild independently and safely
Asking for help was not an easy decision. But the reality is this: no one should be financially ruined for doing the right thing.
Why this matters
Issy’s story is not an isolated one. Across policing, healthcare, education, and other public services, people who speak up about harm are too often punished - quietly, systematically, and without meaningful protection.
Supporting Issy is about more than helping one person rebuild. It’s about refusing a system where integrity is punished, and silence is safer than truth.
How you can help
Donate, if you’re able - no amount is too small
Share Issy’s story to widen support and visibility
Follow and support the work of Speak Up Now UK
