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UK:Police Federation condemn Gay Times ad

01 January 1997

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The Police Federation, which represents lower ranks in UK police forces, has criticised a recruitment advertisement in a gay magazine. An editorial in the Federation's journal, Police, condemned the advert for being too liberal and "politically correct". The advert, placed in the Gay Times magazine, showed a recruitment officer under the heading "Fancy a Chat with Tom". A chief inspector from South Yorkshire then wrote to a local newspaper stating that he was "embarrassed" to belong to the police force.

Police magazine state in their editorial: "It is the official line that, in equal opportunities terms, the so-called gay community is comparable with all the other minority communities. Many police officers find this hard to understand.... three decades ago, homosexuality was regarded officially as well as socially as an abomination". Police goes to say:" In their haste to assure the prevailing establishment that the police are on "their" side too many chief officers seem to take it for granted that we are all liberal now."

Responding to the attack the Chief Constable of South Yorkshire, David Wells, defended both the placing of the advert and the Police Federation's response, claiming: " It has all been quite a positive interlude".

Guardian, 9.1.97.

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