Durham Constabulary has become the 21st UK police force to formally apologise for its past, historic persecution of the LGBTQ+ community – making Britain the world leader in police apologies for anti-LGBTQ+ witch-hunts in previous decades.
Chief Constable Rachel Bacon issued the apology in response to the #ApologiseNow campaign by the Peter Tatchell Foundation, acknowledging the harm caused by the discriminatory enforcement of anti-LGBTQ+ laws and committing her force to positive change.
In her letter to LGBTQ+ campaigner Peter Tatchell, Chief Constable Bacon wrote: “On behalf of Durham Constabulary, I wish to offer my apology and express sincere regret for historical prejudice and ill-treatment directed towards LGBTQ+ people in County Durham and Darlington.
“While I cannot undo the past, I assure you of my genuine commitment to preventing such discrimination in the future. Through ongoing community engagement and collaboration, we will work to effect meaningful change.”
She added: “As Chief Constable, I believe it is crucial to address past injustices and acknowledge the harm caused to individuals, including our own staff, through discriminatory systems, processes, and unacceptable behaviours in policing.”
Peter Tatchell praised Chief Constable Bacon’s proactive stance, saying: “My immense gratitude to Rachel Bacon for her forthright apology to the LGBTQ+ community on behalf of Durham Police. Her willingness to address past police homophobia and commit to new inclusive policies sets a strong example for others to follow. This apology will be widely appreciated and go a long way in rebuilding trust and collaboration between Durham Police and the LGBTQ+ community.”
“Durham’s apology follows similar statements from 20 other UK forces including the Metropolitan, Sussex, Merseyside, Police Scotland and Nottinghamshire. That’s 21 out of 45 UK police forces that have now said sorry. In no other country in the world have so many police chiefs apologised for their force’s past victimisation of LGBTQ+ people,” he said.
The Durham Police apology comes in response to the Peter Tatchell Foundation’s #ApologiseNow campaign, which has called on every UK police force to confront its historic homophobic persecution and to say sorry. The campaign, supported by the late comedian Paul O’Grady, has seen significant progress, with 21 forces apologising so far.
The Peter Tatchell Foundation continues to urge the remaining UK police forces to express remorse for their past victimisation of LGBTs. The #ApologiseNow petition, which calls for accountability across all forces, remains active and can be signed HERE.
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