The gay community, the police and the question of trust

Whether we come into contact with police as a victim of crime, as a witness to an event, due to our own conduct or for other reasons; most of us have an opinion as to the service we expect from them.

In reality, most of us never want to come into contact with police – we don’t want to be a victim of crime, report a loved one missing, be arrested, be stopped for speeding or be caught up in witnessing an incident. However, whilst we don’t desire contact with police, we do have an expectation that police will serve us “without fear or favor” ensuring we are protected, supported and reassured. We rightly expect the highest standards of professionalism from our police service.

Historically, there has been a lack of confidence between LGBT communities and police. In 2002, Professor Gregory Herek reported “Victims’ concerns about police bias and public disclosure of their sexual orientation were important factors in deciding whether to report anti-gay crimes, as were beliefs about the crime’s severity and the likelihood that perpetrators would be punished.”.

Richard Wells, the former Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police, retired in 1998 and stated many police forces were “still failing to tackle homophobic attitudes within their own ranks”.

He said that this failure “undermines gay confidence in the police and hinders police action against anti-gay violence”. A 1998 GALOP survey found that 47% of young gay people reported being victim of anti-gay violence, although only 19% of victims reported this to police, and only 34% of those said officers were supportive. 13% found police to be homophobic and hostile towards them.  Read More