Homophobic Police AGAIN!!! Cornwall Police NOT the only HOMOPHOBES!

Asbo Cops!
BY Hugh Montgomery:- National LGBT Pink Paper newspaper

A Birmingham man has said a police officer subjected him to a torrent of homophobic abuse in the city’s gay village, in the latest blow to West Midlands Police’s “gay-friendly” image.
The 33-year-old man, who didn’t want to be named, claimed the attack occurred on the way home from a night out last month. He said: “A police car screeched up and the officer wound down his window and said ‘Oi, you fucking queer! Have you ever been arrested?’ I kept walking, but then he pulled up again and shouted ‘get yourself fucking home’. Not only that, but his two colleagues were laughing with him.”

The man said he didn’t go to the police because he was scared they wouldn’t believe him, though he did tell victim support officer Alan Richards, a friend of his, who reported the incident to West Midlands Lesbian and Gay Police Forum.

Richards said he had heard of a number of stories of police harrassing gay men in the village in recent months: “Before Christmas, two young men were walking arm in arm and a policeman told them to ‘behave themselves’.

“Then recently, a man was walking to [gay club] Boltz, when a police van started following him, shining a spotlight on him. There’s a concern the same group of officers may be responsible for these.”

This news comes after senior West Midlands policeman, Inspector Bernard McEldowney, last week slammed his force, saying he found “elements of the force, particularly senior officers, to be homophobic.”

Last year, the West Midlands police were widely criticised for heavy-handedness towards the gay community after raiding local bar The Fountain Inn in Wrentham Street for drugs and pornography following an anonymous tip-off, and trying to get its licence revoked.

Philip Rolle is now acting for Fountain Inn’s owner Erick Siekierski to try to get compensation for the raid – he claims police actions breached the Human Rights Act.

Speaking about the allegations of police abusing gays on the street, Rolle said: “I think it may be about revenge. I am sure some arses have been kicked at junior officer level after what has happened at the Fountain and they may now be going out and patrolling the streets with revenge in their minds.”

He said senior officers should apologise in public and be more transparent about the way they deal with the gay community in the future. And he believes they need to get junior police under control – including doing more training in gay issues.

A spokeswoman for West Midlands Police said: “We are aware of an alleged incident involving police officers, this matter is being treated as a homophobic incident and enquiries are ongoing. We have been working very closely with the licencee of The Fountain Inn to rebuild police and community relationships."

"We have recently provided [Fountain Inn] staff with crime prevention signage and have also secured funding for a police help point based in Hurst Street [in the gay village].We have forged strong links with members of the gay community and we regularly attend and support the LGBT forum."

There are now two full-time dedicated officers assigned to the gay community in the city centre to ensure that we listen to concerns and respond positively.

“We want to reassure members of the gay community that we take all complaints and allegations seriously and will deal with them senstively and in confidence if the complainant is concerned about being identified.”

Pink Pasty Opinion:- So thats West Midland & Devon & Cornwall Police force in Stonewall's top 100 GAY FRIENDLY employers....and YET some of us gay people KNOW by bitter experience just how HOMOPHOBIC the police STILL are!

WAKE up Stonewall & Intercom Trust! Stop toadying up to this traditionally homophobic institution which CONTINUE to abuse gay persons!

The IPCC does nothing & is ineffectual & useless....I KNOW!

I get very angry seeing police adverts in the gay press, knowing as I do how the MAJORITY of police officers I have encountered in Cornwall are homophobic in conduct & practise!