Devon & Cornwall’s Acting Chief Constable, Jim Colwell, has made a formal apology to the LGBT+ community, acknowledging past homophobic witch-hunts and discriminatory law enforcement.
In a letter to LGBT+ campaigner Peter Tatchell, Colwell expressed regret for the harm caused by the often abusive way the police enforced historic anti-LGBT+ laws.
ACC Colwell wrote: “We know that the police have to uphold the laws of the day. Of course, it also matters how the law is upheld. I know that, at the time, the way the laws were enforced was often disrespectful and inappropriate, and caused long-running damage to trust in policing amongst LGBT+ communities. This includes impacting adversely on our own LGBT+ officers and staff. I have of course heard this directly from ex-officers.
“I want to apologise for the way those laws were enforced in the past and for any harm caused to LGBT+ communities in Devon & Cornwall as a result."
ACC Colwell is the fifteenth UK police chief to apologise, following similar apologies by the heads of the Metropolitan, City of London, Sussex, South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Gwent, Avon & Somerset, Cambridgeshire, Gloucestershire, Dorset, West Mercia, North Yorkshire, Wiltshire and Nottinghamshire forces.
It follows the #ApologiseNow campaign initiated by the Peter Tatchell Foundation. The campaign was backed by comedian and TV presenter Paul O’Grady before his untimely passing.
Peter Tatchell said he wanted to express "My immense gratitude to Jim Colwell for his forthright apology to the LGBT+ community on behalf of Devon & Cornwall police – and for the positive, supportive and inclusive LGBT+ policies he set out in his letter to me."
He said: “Some people in power find it hard to say sorry for past wrongs. Jim Colwell didn’t hesitate or evade the need for a clear apology. That marks him out as a commendable police chief. We thank him and his officers.
“This apology does the Devon & Cornwall police proud and will win much appreciation and praise from the LGBT+ community. It will go a long way towards securing a more constructive, collaborative relationship between Devon & Cornwall police and LGBT+ people – further building trust and cooperation.
“Saying sorry helps draw a line under past police homophobia. It’s a laudable continuation of the great work the police have been doing in recent years. I hope it will inspire more LGBTs to report hate crime, domestic abuse and sexual assaults, which is what we all want.”
The Peter Tatchell Foundation is urging every Chief Constable in the UK to apologise for their force’s historic homophobic persecution in decades past, and is continuing to chase the remaining 30 police forces that have not done so.
The #ApologiseNow petition can be read and signed at ApologiseNow.com
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