Staffordshire Police issues ‘heartfelt apology’ for past ‘ill-treatment’ of LGBTQ+ people

Staffordshire Police’s Acting Chief Constable has apologised for the past “ill-treatment’ of LGBTQ+ people in response to the Peter Tatchell Foundation’s “Apologise Now!” campaign.

Acting Chief Constable Becky Riggs said in a letter to the Peter Tatchell Foundation that while police officers had been expected to uphold laws of the time, “some individuals in policing acted in ways that went beyond what the law required and caused harm”.

Riggs wrote: “The manner in which certain laws were enforced prior to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 2003 was, in many cases, inappropriate, discriminatory, and fell short of the standards the public should expect.”

‘I want to express sincere regret and offer a heartfelt apology’

The letter continued: “On behalf of Staffordshire Police, I want to express sincere regret and offer a heartfelt apology for the actions and behaviours that led to ill-treatment or harm experienced by members of the LGBTQ+ community.

“Thankfully, we have come a long way since then and we are now a much more inclusive and diverse organisation that plays an active role in engaging positively with our LGBTQ+ community, both internally and externally.”

Riggs continued to say that the force is encouraging people to report hate crimes, having introcued third-party reporting centres to make it easier.

“I am pleased that more people are now reporting hate crime than ever before, and, in turn, we now see more prosecutions for hate crime,” the letter continued.

Riggs explained that Staffordshire Police has a hate crime champion in every team, with the LGBTQ+ network running the ‘Hate Crime Spotlight’ initiative to help local teams in how to respond to and investigate hate crimes.

The statement continued: “While I am proud of our progress, there is still more work to do, and I always welcome the feedback of the LGBTQ+ communities on how we can improve our service.”

Peter Tatchell’s response

In response to the letter from Becky Riggs, Peter Tatchell said: “This apology is a much-appreciated acknowledgement of the suffering caused by decades of discriminatory policing. We are pleased to see that Staffordshire Police are committed to match their words with sustained action nowadays to ensure LGBT+ people are protected, respected and treated equally.

“The Peter Tatchell Foundation continues to call on police forces across the UK to formally recognise past abuses, say sorry and commit to ongoing engagement with LGBT+ communities. 

“So far 22 forces have apologised, including London’s Metropolitan Police. This is many times more police apologies than in any other country in the world. 

“We are continuing to press the other 23 Chief Constables who have not said sorry to follow the lead of Staffordshire and the 21 other forces. Notable refusals to say sorry include the Chief Constables of the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and Northern Ireland – the three forces with the worst history of homophobic witch-hunts. 

“While Staffordshire Police say ‘there is still more work to do’, the apology marks a significant moment in confronting a painful chapter in policing history – and a reminder that rebuilding trust requires both honesty about the past and vigilance in the present.”

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