The Cheshire police force is being urged to apologise for its past witch-hunting of the LGBT+ community.
The call comes in a letter to the Chief Constable, Mark Roberts, from the veteran human rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell. Copy below.
“The Cheshire police force was very homophobic in past decades and went out of its way to target consenting, victimless behaviour that harmed no one. It wrecked the lives of many LGBT+ people,” said Mr Tatchell, Director of the human rights organisation, the Peter Tatchell Foundation.
The PTF is spearheading the #ApologiseNow campaign, urging all Chief Constable to say sorry for past anti-LGBT+ witch-hunts.
The campaign was backed by the comedian and TV presenter Paul O’Grady before his death.
Mr Tatchell added, “I hope that a formal apology will be made to the LGBT+ community. It would help further improve LGBT+ trust and confidence in the police, which is what we all want.
“We do not expect an apology from the police for enforcing historic homophobic laws. What we are requesting is an apology for the often abusive and threatening way those laws were enforced – ways that would be deemed illegal and unacceptable today.
“Sir Mark Rowley has already said sorry on behalf of the Metropolitan Police and backed it up with a new LGBT+ plan for London and the appointment of LGBT+ Community Liaison Officers in every London borough. Similar apologies have also been made by the Chief Constables of Sussex and South Yorkshire.
Their stance is backed by the Chief Constable of Northumbria, Vanessa Jardine, in her capacity as the lead on LGBT+ policy among chief constables across the UK. She has written to all Chief Constables supporting calls for them to say sorry. The appeal for Chief Constables to apologise is also endorsed by the National Police LGBT+ Network of serving LGBT+ officers,” said Mr Tatchell,
