Gay police body warns of abuse
Homophobia remains a problem for police forces
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Saturday, 09, Feb 2008 12:33
The Gay Police Association (GPA) has reported a sharp increase in the number of complaints of alleged homophobic behaviour within the police force.
The gay rights body said it had received 350 calls to its helpline this year in comparison with 260 complaints about anti-gay actions within the law-enforcement authorities last year.
It claims that some officers had declined to serve with their gay colleagues due to religious beliefs.
The association also states certain police officers pointed to verses from the Bible as well as legislation to protect religious freedoms while refusing to serve with their homosexual counterparts.
GPA chairman Paul Cahill said: "We've had officers refusing to work with gay officers… we had situations where colleagues would come in to work and on parade would openly state their religious opposition to homosexuality and would even quote sections of the Bible.
"[This was] completely out of context with being at work and on parade.
"Many gay officers quite rightly felt that was an attempt to intimidate or harass them.
"But the officers behaving in that way would say 'we were asserting our right to freedom of religious expression' - albeit that it was questionable in the context in which it was raised, the timing and the manner in which it was raised," he added.
The Association of Chief Police Officers' lead officer on sexual orientation, Mike Cunnigham, said he encouraged members of the police to report incidents of racism, homophobia and minority discrimination issues.
He added that officers were entitled to hold their views and that he was preparing guidance on how to live in accordance with one's beliefs without infringing on those of others.