THEGAYUK

Tag: Police

All the latest breaking news on the police. Browse THEGAYUK’s complete collection of news, articles and commentary on the police.

  • Six police in Hampshire ‘recorded making homophobic, sexist and racist remarks’

    Six police officers of the Hampshire Police Force are facing a misconduct hearing after being accused of making remarks about LGBT+ people, people of colour and women.

    The six officers will face a misconduct hearing on Monday after the Hampshire Constabulary said they were covertly recorded making “discriminatory”, “inappropriate” or “offensive” remarks at the Northern Police Investigation Centre in Basingstoke.

    A number of the officers are said to have sent emails from work accounts, which the Constabulary say are “discriminatory, inappropriate or offensive” in their nature. It also said that similar messages were found in text and Whatsapp messages. The force did not go into details about what the messages said.

    Detective Inspector Timothy Ireson, Detective Sergeant Oliver Lage, Detective Sergeant Gregory Willcox, trainee Detective Constable Andrew Ferguson, PC James Oldfield and PC Craig Bannerman will face a police disciplinary hearing in Winchester.

    Two of the officers, DI Ireson and PC Bannerman have since retired or resigned from their posts at the force.

    Who and where are Hampshire Police?

    Hampshire Police is responsible for policing the counties of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in South East England. Its largest city is Southampton. It has an annual budget of £337.3 million and employs around 4000 people, with a further 450 volunteers.

    Since 2006 the force has constantly been featured in the top 100 employers in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index. In 2010 it reached its peak of 2nd place.

    A Hampshire Constabulary spokesman said to Sky News, “It is alleged that the breaches of the standards of professional behaviour outlined are so serious that, if proven, dismissal would be justified and, as such, it is alleged that the behaviour amounts to gross misconduct.”

    The disciplinary hearing is schedule to last up to three weeks.

  • Katie Hopkins just dropped the T word

    Katie Hopkins just dropped the T word

    Katie Hopkins has stooped to a new low

    Yes even for Katie Hopkins and her rabid anti–trans tweeting has stooped to a new low after she published a limerick which included a transphobic slur aimed at Humberside police, after the force revealed that they would always investigate reports of potential hate crime, which includes transphobia.
    (more…)

  • Gay Police Association changes its name to Scottish LGBTI Police Association

    The Scottish LGBT+ policing group has changed its name.

    The GPA (Gay Police Association) has changed its name to a more inclusive Scottish LGBTI Police Association. The changes include changing the official Facebook URL and name.

    Along with the name change, the old GPA logo will disappear and will be replaced with a new logo.

    The change has come to mark LGBT History Month. Every February it is LGBT History Month in the UK.

    A statement from the association’s website states,

    “Our Association has a long and proud history spanning 27 years…

    “At our AGM in 2016, members took part in an exercise in order to review how the Association was structured, the Aims and Objectives, what could be improved and examine ways to encourage membership engagement and inclusion.

    “Following the 2016 AGM, a number of recommendations came to light which would form the basis for a “Re-structuring Strategy”. Following 12 months of discussion within the Executive Committee, the Strategy became a proposal which was passed at the 2017 AGM.

    “This is far more than simply a name change and re-branding. A new General Board will replace the former Executive Committee. The Association will now include Transgender and Intersex as well as LGB. The Aims and Objectives have been replaced with a simple Mission Statement backed up with key priorities. There will be a new focus on localism with the creation of Local Coordinators. We will retain important aspects including our independence and remain an association of members.”

    The full change over is due to happen on the 16th February 2018.

  • Hopkins’ blast police force for taking part in pride parades

    Katie Hopkins takes issue with police forces taking part in annual pride parades.

    Policing with Pride – Police in Liverpool march in Liverpool Pride 2017

    Katie Hopkins has taken a swipe at police forces in the UK for taking part in pride parades – and described them “as part of the problem”. The former LBC presenter was making a statement after it came to light that some police chiefs in the UK might have to pull their support from Remembrance Sunday parades due to lack of funding.

    Speaking to her 823,000 followers on Twitter taking aim at police chiefs she wrote, “You can’t afford our Remembrance Parades (for fear of offending) but you can afford this vanity exercise?” before republishing a video of a police force taking part in a pride parade. 

    The tweet generated a huge backlash, with at least one person asking if the officers in the video were “real” and added that they were “an embarrassment”. Hopkins responded by writing “They describe themselves as ‘real officers’. We describe them as ‘part of the problem’.

    This isn’t the first time Hopkins has commented on police inclusion in pride events, earlier in 2017, she remarked on Sussex Police spending £750 on pride decals for two of their cars.

  • The Met is inviting you to join it in conversation tonight

    Ever wanted to know what it’s like to work in the country’s biggest police force? Now is your chance as the Met takes to Twitter to answer questions from the public.

    David Fall has spent his entire policing career wanting to specialise in investigating serious and complex cases. His aim has always been to support victims as best as he possibly can.

    Twenty years after becoming a police officer, he was one of the Met’s stars on the BBC documentary – showing the capital what his team are doing to keep Londoners safe.

    Interested in a career as a detective within the Met? Follow #JoinTheMet on Twitter tonight from 6pm, where DC Fall will be taking your questions. Find out if this is the change you have been looking a career within the Met is the change you have been looking for.

    “My name is David Fall and I am currently a Detective working in the Met’s Sexual Offences Unit within SC&O17 command based within North West of London.

    “I was born and raised in Southampton. Growing up it was always my boyhood dream to become a Police Officer. As soon as I was old enough to apply I did and as a fresh faced 18 year old I was successful on application and joined Hampshire Constabulary as a PC.

    “I enjoyed working there however in 2005 I made the decision to transfer to the bright lights of London. The appeal of policing the world’s capital City was too good an opportunity for me to turn down.

    “I was first posted to Wandsworth borough and I was very much a stranger to London. I remember feeling overwhelmed at the enormity of the city and the sheer size of the Met. The opportunities seemed vast and varied. I was able to settle quickly due to how my colleagues treated me, there was a real ‘police family’ feeling at Wandsworth. I was both fortunate and grateful for that.

    “I spent three years in the Homicide Command before transferring to the child protection unit in late 2011.

    “In November 2015 I was posted to the command of SC&017 where I have spent five years in total and the last 18 months of which, in ‘Sapphire’, where I am responsible for investigating serious sexual offences and stranger rapes.

    “I have been a Detective for 11 years now and became a Detective to investigate the most serious, grave and complex crimes. It sounds a bit corny but to lock up the criminals that inflict pain and misery on good members of our society was a driving force behind my decision to become a detective.

    “The hardest part of the job is the sheer volume of work that can be very demanding, so it’s important to be able to prioritise tasks in any given investigation.

    “There is nothing more rewarding and satisfying than giving the victim and their families justice in Court. I enjoy presenting complex cases during trials at Crown Court and I appreciate the fact that I have the responsibility to be able to give the victim some comfort at such a difficult time in their life.”

  • Toronto Pride parade goes ahead without police in the parade

    Toronto Pride went ahead this weekend with the exception of one long-running supporter in the parade, the police force.

    Gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans police officers in Toronto did not take part in this year’s event after Black Lives Matter protestors disrupted last year’s parade and demanded that they be excluded from the parade along with other requests, which the organisers signed on the spot – without consultation.

    Black Lives Matter said it had launched its objection to hold Pride answerable for its “anti-blackness”.

    Instead of taking part in a parade which was on their home turf, 100 TPA officers and civilians marched in the New York City parade.

    The Pride organisers were keen to clarify that the force was not “banned” saying that LGBT officers were welcome to take part with “select conditions”. They were asked not to include “uniforms, weapons, and vehicles”.

    They said,

    “We welcome and encourage their participation to add to Pride this year as members of our community. LGBTQ+ police officers and their allies can march in the parade with community groups, with the City of Toronto, or even create their own group.

    “We are simply requesting that their participation not include the following elements: uniform, weapons, and vehicles.

    “The Toronto Police Service has been involved and supportive to us throughout our festival planning. They will provide all the necessary services to ensure that the festival weekend and parade are secure and successful.

    What Were The Black Lives Matter demands?

    • Continued space, including stage and tents, funding and logistical support for Black Queer Youth.
    • Self-determination for all community spaces at Pride, allowing community groups full control over hiring, content and structure of their stages.
    • Full and adquate funding for community stages, including logistical, technical and personnel support.
    • Doubling of funding for Blockorama to $13,000.
    • Reinstatement of the South Asian stage.
    • Prioritising of the hiring of Black transwomen, Indigenous people and others from vulnerable communities at Pride Toronto.
    • More Black deaf and hearing sign language interpreters for the festival.
    • Removal of police floats in the Pride marches and parades.
    • A town hall organised in conjunction with groups from marginalised communities, including but not limited to Black Lives Matter – Toronto, Blackness Yes and Black Queer Youth, in six months, where Pride Toronto will present an update and action plan on BLM-TO’s demands

    Black Lives Matter did not take part in this year’s parade saying they wanted to ensure their “presence is felt through the parade” through other organisations.

  • Westminster suffers “terror incident” leaving at least one person dead

    Westminster suffers “terror incident” leaving at least one person dead

    BREAKING

    Westminster has become the latest European city to become the victim of a terrorist incident. Police in London have confirmed that a “terror incident” in the area surrounding parliament has left at least four people dead and several people with “catastrophic injuries”. A car was driven at people on Westminster bridge, echoing an attack in Nice, France in July 2016.

    After the car hit the railings at least one man escaped and headed towards the Palace of Westminster. Police are cautious to confirm whether there was just one attacker. An investigation is underway.

    The officer was stabbed by the alleged attacker and died from the injuries despite first responder’s best efforts. The assailant also died from his injuries.

    According to sources, after the officer was stabbed in the Houses of Parliament, the assailant ran into the Palace of Westminister before being shot by armed police. It is not known whether the assailant is alive or dead.

    Police are unable to confirm the exact numbers of deaths or injuries.

    Footage emerging on social media show a number of people lying in the road on Westminister Bridge.

    This is the first major terrorist incident in London since July 7th 2005, which left 52 victims dead.

    A number of MPs have paid their respects to the police service, MP Chris Bryant tweeted his gratitude, saying,

    “Lots of people have sent kind messages. My staff and I are fine but under lock-down. My respect to the police and security services.”

  • Police target two London gay clubs in drug bust

    Police target two London gay clubs in drug bust

    The Metropolitan Police have arrested three men after drug busts at two London clubs following an “intelligence-led operation”.

    police target gay clubs
    © jvanderwolf Depositphotos.com

    Two gay clubs in London were raided in the early hours of Friday morning by the Metropolitan Police. They arrested three men after a “quantity of suspected Class A drugs” were found on one of the premises.

    Officers entered Vauxhall clubs, Fire and Lightbox and searched customers and members of staff. The venues were also searched.

    According to police reports two 30-year-old men were arrested at Lightbox on suspicion of possession of Class A drugs. One of the men arrested is a staff member of Lightbox. The other man was additionally arrested on suspicion of breaching a court order. A third man, aged 28 was arrested at the same venue on suspicion of handling stolen goods.

    All three were taken into custody at a south London police station where they remain.

    No one was arrested at Fire.

    Chief Inspector Lance Lamnea, of Lambeth borough, said,

    “This operation was based on intelligence that indicated harmful substances were being sold at these nightclubs. We are committed to supporting a vibrant night time economy in the capital, but where we suspect offences are taking place we must take swift action to protect the public.

    “In this case, anti-social behaviour – believed to be generated by those attending the clubs – has been having a detrimental effect on the lives of those living and working in the area.

    “We will be working closely with both the clubs’ management and our partners to ensure the continuing safety of the public and consider whether there will be any impact on licensing issues.”

     

  • Brighton Police “Very Concerned” After Two Homophobic Attacks

    Police in Brighton has released a video to reassure the LGBTI community in Brighton after two separate attacks against gay men.

    Police in Brighton have released a “reassurance” message to the LGBTI community after two separate attacks over two consecutive weekends have left three men hospitalised.

    On both occasions suspects were arrested. The first attack happened to two boyfriends, one of which is fearing for his sight and the most recent left a former model unconsious and hopsitalised for three days.

    Chief Superintendent Nev Kemp released a video to thank members of the public and door staff in helping the police to apprehend the suspects quickly.

    Mr Kemp was quick to remind viewers that hate crime of that nature are very rare in Brighton but two attacks over two consecutive weekends was “very concerning”, but stressed the attacks were unconnected.

    He went on to say that Brighton was not a place that tolerated “homophobic attitudes or hate crimes of any description.”

     

  • New Report Released on Gay Hate Crime Challenges

    A new report has been released by Nottingham Trent University that has for the first time examined the perspectives of police officers and the issues they face preventing hate crime.

    Carried out by Nottingham Law School on behalf of the Hate Crime Steering Group, it involved in-depth interviews conducted with frontline officers from Nottinghamshire Police. The outcomes of this are to be shared among UK forces by the government.

    The reports author, Dr Loretta Trickett, has claimed: “many of the officers I interviewed were not fully engaged with the current format” and that while officers are clear on what hate crime is and know the procedures to follow, more training from external agencies on how to sufficiently deal with complicated cases is vital.

    Hate crime is currently an area of priority for the police, including five monitored areas, two of these being sexual orientation and gender identity. The crime itself makes up 1% of overall crime, with 44,480 incidents being recorded by police in 2013/14.

     

  • Hot Cop Goes Hot Pink For Anti-Bullying Campaign

    Toronto police officer Luke Watson’s desire to see an end to anti-LGBTQ bullying burns with a hot pink intensity.

    To mark ‘Day of Pink’ on April 8th an international day against “bullying, discrimination, homophobia, transphobia, and transmisogyny across the world,” Watson dyed his hair pink and pledged to keep it that way for an entire week if the Twitter photo of his new ‘do was retweeted 1,000 times. It reached 3000 within the day and is now going viral viral.

    Please pass on to any members of HM’s Constabulary who are also looking for ideas on how to show their support too. Especially the hot ones!

    by Roger Walker-Dack