Roll of Honor
Incident
PC Francis O’Neill and WPC Angela Seeds were on patrol in plain clothes when they were dispatched to a Boots chemist shop on Waterloo’s Lower Marsh where, a man from Wembley, was attempting to acquire drugs with a forged prescription.
Suspicions had initially been raised when the manager queried the doctor’s note because of how neat the handwriting was. The man was asked to come back in half an hour to collect the prescription.
When the man returned to collect his prescription PC O’Neill approached him and produced his warrant card. The male lashed out and stabbed the officer in the heart. He would later claim in court that he’d been hallucinating and mistook PC O’Neill for a “big brown bear”.
PC O’Neill gave chase but collapsed to the pavement outside the store where a passing nurse administered first aid. PC O’Neill was then taken to St Thomas’ Hospital but he was pronounced dead on arrival.
WPC Seeds continued the pursuit, finally cornering the male on a platform at Lambeth North tube station. Initially the man produced the knife but dropped it and was arrested.
PC O’Neill was from Bellshill, Lanarkshire, and originally joined the police in Glasgow in 1971 before moving to the Metropolitan Police two years later. He had four young children; two daughters and two sons.
Posthumously awarded the Queen’s Gallantry Medal.
In Our Keeping
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- April 8, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Constable O’Neill served with the Metropolitan Police.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Constable O’Neill.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Constable Francis Joseph O’Neill is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In ENG, 702 of 2,827 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 24.8% of this state's fallen. That is 29.4 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
At Metropolitan Police, 185 of 729 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 25.4% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Francis Joseph O’Neill's cause is highlighted.
How Francis Joseph O’Neill Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Francis Joseph O’Neill is highlighted in Oct.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.
Others Who Wore This Badge
728 officers from Metropolitan Police are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
