North Yorkshire Police apologises to LGBTQ+ community

North Yorkshire Police has today apologised for any historical discriminatory behaviour that any members of the LGBTQ+ community were subjected to by any member of the force.

The apology was issued in response to a request from the Peter Tatchell, Director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, for all police forces to apologise for their historical treatment of the LGBTQ+ community. While acknowledging his gratitude for North Yorkshire Police’s current supportive policies towards the LGBT+ community he requested that “to draw a line under the past extreme persecution of LGBT+ people by UK police, including your force, I hope you will agree that some expression of remorse is appropriate... so that we can move forward together.”

In his letter to Mr Peter, Acting Chief Constable Elliot Foskett said:

“As Acting Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police, I offer my sincere apologies to the LGBT+ community for any historical discriminatory behaviour they were subjected to by any member of this force.

“To rebuild trust, it’s important to recognise the harm caused not only to the individuals subject to unacceptable police behaviours of the past, but also the upset and distress experienced by their families and loved ones, and the LGBT+ community as a whole. I recognise that it’s important to acknowledge former injustices, to forge stronger relationships for the future. I hope that this acknowledgment demonstrates our commitment as a force to work with our LGBTQ+ to do exactly that.

“As a bisexual man myself, I understand some of the challenges that our LGBTQ+ communities, both externally and internally, continue to face.

“I hope my response, and the actions of all the officers and staff that I lead, shows that policing is listening, learning, and changing, and that everyone here at North Yorkshire Police is fully committed to true inclusivity and equality for all.”

Read the full response from the Acting Chief Constable.

Watch a video with Acting Chief Constable Elliot Foskett and Superintendent Ed Haywood-Noble, the force’s strategic lead for its LGBTQ+ network: