London’s Metropolitan Police to launch LGBT staff network
London’s Metropolitan Police Service is to launch a staff LGBT network.
The LGBT Network has been launched ahead of this weekend’s Pride in London march as a Staff Support Association within the Met – representing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) officers and staff.
The dedicated staff association aims to promote awareness and inclusively to MPS staff, as well as “helping to create a more knowledgeable workforce that can respond to and address crimes or issues affecting members of the LGBT community sensitively, effectively and with confidence”.
It comes ahead of London’s Pride march – where more than 80 Met officers will march, alongside staff from the London Ambulance Service and the London Fire Brigade.
PC Anton Brown, the Chair of the Network, said: “This is the culmination of two years’ work, which started with a conversation over a coffee in Berlin at the European Gay Police Association conference in 2014.
“The Met had been lacking in a LGBT staff association for a number of years and after a lot of hard work the Network was finally launched.
“The new staff association will represent LGBT matters in the Met, promoting recruitment and delivering training to LGBT liaison officers. It will also provide access to local and national events, promote reporting and provide support to members who have suffered LGBT crimes or bullying.
“The Network will also work with the LGBT community to signpost members of the public to support services.”
PinkNews spoke to Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe last week, ahead of Pride in London.
He vowed: “What we really want to do is to minimise disruption for everybody, and make sure it’s a safe event and an enjoyable event. We want to make sure that people are kept safe.
“I think that applies every year, people are kept safe and it makes a great statement for the LGBT community. We intend to make sure that happens again, and we are sure it will go off very well.
“We want to make it a great event. We will all be working hard together with the organisers to keep it safe. I’m sure it will be safe.”
