Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy has apologised for the historic over-policing of Merseyside’s LGBTQ+ communities through the enforcement of legislation that was previously in place.
The force is the 18th force in the UK to recognise homophobic victimisation after the Peter Tatchell Foundation launched a campaign last year, writing to all UK police chiefs to apologise for “decades-long victimisation” of the LGBTQ+ community.
The force has been engaging with community partners, staff and its LGBTQ+ network. This evening Chief Constable Kennedy met with representatives from the LGBTQ+ community to apologise in person for the wrongs of the past, recognising that policing has moved on over the last 20 years and there is still work to be done to improve trust and confidence.
She said: “Last year, I received a letter from Peter Tatchell, as did every Chief Constable in the country.
“The request from his foundation was for me to apologise on behalf of Merseyside Police, for the historic over policing of our LGBTQ+ communities, explicitly for homophobic victimisation and for the way we enforced the law in the past, particularly around the 1980s and 90s.
“When I received the letter I gave considerable thought to his request, and immediately recognised the need to address past injustices and acknowledge the harm caused by over-zealous policing and behaviour, policies and processes that enabled homophobia to thrive at that time.
“I wanted to understand the lived experience of our LGBTQ+ communities in Merseyside, both historically and now, so I could appreciate the detrimental impact policing had on those people.
“As a result, we have undertaken extensive consultation with our communities, staff, and our LGBTQ+ network over the past 12 months in preparation for today and I am extremely grateful to those who were willing to share their traumatic experiences with us.
“I am committed to ongoing consultation and engagement to further understand the impact of that time, to ensure we continue to learn from our mistakes and build on proactive and positive work that has been undertaken by the force over many years.
“Improving the confidence of our LGBTQ+ communities is of paramount importance to me, and I am determined to further build on the trust we have gained.
“It has been a deeply humbling experience to consider in-depth our past mistakes, particularly by an organisation I am so incredibly proud of today.”
Chief Constable Kennedy added: “I know I cannot change the past and it saddens me greatly to think that our historic actions have diminished trust in Merseyside Police and led to feelings of injustice that persist for some today.
“It has been really encouraging to hear from our communities and stakeholders during our consultation leading up to tonight, and seeing how far they think we have moved on.
“I wholeheartedly agree that policing has changed considerably in that time, but I want to ensure we do not forget our past and ensure the learning over the years galvanises our ongoing commitment and continuous improvement, to ensure we deliver the best possible service to all our LGBTQ+ communities.”