Researcher, British
Gary Heseltine
Former British Detective Inspector who documented 1,100+ police officer UFO sightings and founded the PRUFOS database and UFO Truth Magazine.
Early Career & Police Background
Gary Heseltine served in the Royal Air Force Police from 1983 to 1989, establishing a foundation in investigative protocol and institutional hierarchy. He then joined the British Transport Police in 1989, where he would spend nearly 24 years, rising to Detective Constable rank. Over 19 years in the detective role, he handled serious criminal investigations—murder, manslaughter, rape—and earned accreditation as a Home Office trained witness and suspect interviewer. His expertise in advanced interrogation and evidence gathering made him a natural choice for the London Bombings terrorist inquiry, where he served as a specialist interviewer of first-responding police officers.
PRUFOS Database & Institutional Legitimacy
In January 2002, while still an active police officer, Heseltine launched an unofficial national database for UFO sightings reported by serving and retired British police officers. This initiative, the PRUFOS Police Database (Police Reporting UFO Sightings), represented a pivotal institutional approach to UFO documentation. Unlike civilian databases, PRUFOS collates reports from credentialed witnesses—officers trained in observation, evidence handling, and institutional accountability.
Heseltine's central claim carries weight: more than 1,100 police officers have reported UFO sightings over decades. Many, he asserts, experienced psychological trauma and were silenced or discouraged from speaking publicly. The database draws from multiple sources including newspaper archives, Ministry of Defence documents, and direct officer testimony, creating a cross-referenced archive of law-enforcement UFO encounters.
This work challenged a prevailing silence within British institutions. Police officers, trained in objectivity and bound by professional codes, typically avoided public UFO claims. PRUFOS provided a confidential repository, revealing that institutionally vetted witnesses had observed unexplained phenomena at significant rates.
Publishing & Advocacy
Following the death of UFO Magazine editor Graham Birdsall in September 2003, Heseltine expanded his advocacy through publication. He launched UFO Monthly, an online e-zine that ran from 2004 to 2007 with 41 issues, filling a vacuum in serious UFO journalism. After leaving the police force in 2013, he dedicated himself full-time to research and founded UFO Truth Magazine, a 96-page bi-monthly publication featuring investigative articles, witness testimony, and archival research.
Heseltine has authored NON-HUMAN: The Rendlesham Forest UFO Incidents: 42 Years of Denial, positioning himself as one of Britain's leading researchers into that nation's most celebrated UFO case. His work emphasizes documentary evidence, institutional corroboration, and the suppression of credible witness accounts.
Current Role & Methodology
Since May 2021, Heseltine has served as Vice President of the International Coalition for Extraterrestrial Research (ICER), an organization bringing together scientists, academics, and leading UFO researchers worldwide. This role underscores his transition from institutional police work to the forefront of international UFO advocacy and research coordination.
Heseltine's methodology reflects his police training. He examines the best available evidence from around the world and, on a circumstantial basis, concludes that some UFO sightings do involve extraterrestrials actively interacting with planet Earth. This conclusion stops short of definitive proof but represents a reasoned assessment rooted in witness credibility and pattern analysis—an approach consistent with detective reasoning.
Watch
Gary Heseltine Testifies about Police and UFO Incidents
RICHPLANET TV - UFO discussion with Gary Heseltine - 08/12/2015
Gary Heseltine's lecture - UFO Truth Mag Conference 2015
Also available
Capel Green
Feature-length documentary about the 1980 Rendlesham Forest Incidents with Gary Heseltine as lead researcher. Focuses on witness accounts from US Air Force personnel and civilians who observed mysterious lights, orbs, and entities in the Capel Green field near RAF Bentwaters and Woodbridge in Suffolk, England.
Ancient Aliens
Long-running docuseries featuring Gary Heseltine as Vice President of the International Coalition for Extraterrestrial Research (ICER) and Founder/Editor of UFO Truth Magazine. Multiple episodes explore unexplained aerial phenomena, UFO cover-ups, and witness testimonies including Heseltine's investigations into UK incidents.
UFO Conspiracies: The Hidden Truth
Documentary examining US government involvement with UFO phenomena from 1947 to present, featuring classified footage and expert interviews. Gary Heseltine appears as Founder & Editor of UFO Truth Magazine, alongside astronauts and military officials discussing government cover-ups and secret research programs.
The Unexplained Files
TV documentary series investigating unexplained phenomena worldwide. Gary Heseltine appears as a retired police detective sharing expertise on UFO sightings, law enforcement accounts, and investigative insights from his extensive background in police work and UFO research.
UFO Europe: The Untold Stories
International TV documentary series investigating UFO sightings and incidents across Europe. Gary Heseltine appears as UFO Investigator, examining cases including the UK's Rendlesham Forest incident and other European mysteries with his law enforcement perspective.
Buying through these links supports the library. We may earn a commission.
Notes
- PRUFOS Police Database, Gary Heseltine, prufospolicedatabase.co.uk
- About the Editor, Gary Heseltine, UFO Truth Magazine
- Former British Detective Claims 1,100 Police Officers Reported UFOs, IBTimes, IBTimes UK
- Gary Heseltine: 1,100 Police Officers and the UFO Mystery, That UFO Podcast, That UFO Podcast
Filed under
ProvenanceAgent indexedUpdated 5mo ago4 sources
Drafted by the archive's AI research agent from the sources below; corrections from readers are reviewed and folded in.
- First indexed
- 07 JUN 26 // 22:18Z
- Last updated
- 07 JUN 26 // 22:18Z
- PRUFOS Police Database, Gary Heseltine, prufospolicedatabase.co.uk
- About the Editor, Gary Heseltine, UFO Truth Magazine
- Former British Detective Claims 1,100 Police Officers Reported UFOs, IBTimes, IBTimes UK
- Gary Heseltine: 1,100 Police Officers and the UFO Mystery, That UFO Podcast, That UFO Podcast