Timeline of LGBT+ History for Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire
1998 – Police Tackle Hate Crime
Stafford Post – 29th May 1997
When John Giffard took office as Chief Constable in 1996 he inherited a police force that had an institutionally homophobic culture. We can see the early signs of a willingness to change this in the news cutting above from 1997 that reports on a local seminar themed around tackling hate crime against lesbians and gay men . The seminar was held at Staffordshire University and attended by members of Staffordshire Police. The keynote speaker was from the Los Angeles Police Department who recommended community partnership to build trust with the police. The attendees must have taken this on board because the following year Staffordshire Police worked with the Staffordshire Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Group to launch a wide ranging initiative to tackle homophobic hate crime.
Staffordshire Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Police Liaison Committee
The Staffordshire Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Police Liaison Committee was formed in late 1997 as a direct effort to create accountability and improve the historically strained relationship between the police and the local community.
The group was brought together by G-Mhap and included representatives from various statutory bodies and community organisations, such as the Community Forum, Lesbian and Gay Switchboard, CAB, and university LGB societies.
Early meetings were often “heated,” with community representatives threatening to walk out if the Staffordshire Constabulary did not become more accountable for its stance toward LGB issues “on the beat” as well as at Headquarters. A major point of contention was the perceived discriminatory policing of car parks and “cruising” areas, where gay men faced harassment and gross indecency charges while heterosexual couples in similar circumstances were not targeted.
The “Action on Hate Crime” Initiative
In February 1998, the committee launched its most significant initiative: the “Action on Hate Crime” campaign.
- Landmark Launch: Formally launched on 11 February 1998 at Police HQ in Stafford by Chief Constable John Giffard.
- Self-Reporting Forms: The central feature was a pioneering incident self-reporting form funded by the police. This allowed victims of physical assault, verbal abuse, or harassment to report crimes anonymously or through a friend, addressing the community’s fear of “coming out” to officers in person.
- Visibility: Leaflets and posters for the campaign were distributed across the gay scene, libraries, and police stations to signal that homophobic abuse was a crime that would be taken seriously.
The scheme launched with a self reporting form and the contact number was the North Staffordshire Lesbian Gay and Bisexual Switchboard. Although the scheme was initially slow to start it did become highly successful and later evolved into the True Vision Hate Crime scheme (read more about that here…)
The news cutting below features a photo of Cheief Constable John Giffard with LGBT+ community representatives from the Staffordshire Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Group. Besides the instrinsic value of the hate crime reporting scheme this show of support from the new Chief Constable marked a turning point in relations with the police.
The launch of the new hate crime reporting scheme appeared in the Staffordshire Newsletter, 26th Feb 1998. Front row far right is Howard Thomas of the West Midlands Regional Health Authority and next to him is Mike Wolfe who will eventually become Stoke’s first elected mayor. On the back row at right is Michael Carey a volunteer of the North Staffs Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Switchboard.
The new scheme was widely publicised and over the following months appeared in newspapers all over the Staffordshire County including The Evening Sentinel, Burton Mail, Rugeley Mercury, Rugeley Post, Stafford Post, Staffordshire Newsletter (including Uttoxeter edition), The Lichfield Mercury and The Tamworth Herald. Here are a few of the news clippings from 1998
Burton Mail – 8th May 1998
Rugeley Post- 12th Feb 1998
Lichfield Mercury – 14th May 1998
The Tamworth Herald – 8th May 1998
Strategic Shifts in Policing
The committee was instrumental in moving the police from a strategy of prosecution toward one of protection and prevention:
- Cottaging Policy: Following a “low point” in 1997 where 21 men were arrested in a park raid, the committee helped implement a new policy in October 1998 aimed at preventing “cottaging” rather than entrapment and prosecution. This included placing “early warning” stickers in known areas to advise men to use other venues to avoid victimisation.
- Victim Support: The focus shifted to arresting perpetrators of crimes against gay men, such as those committing “queer bashing”.
- Training: Members of the committee provided sexuality awareness training to police officers to help them understand gay lifestyles and the trauma of hate crimes.
Examples of Issues Addressed
The committee served as a forum for addressing specific local grievances and safety concerns:
- CCTV Monitoring: In October 1998, the committee challenged the use of a CCTV camera at the MACRO car park, which members noted appeared to be permanently positioned to watch the activities of gay men rather than for general security.
- Venue Safety: Following a serious wounding at the Three Tuns in September 1998 and an assault at The Club, the committee pushed for better security personnel at gay venues and an acknowledgement from the police that these locations were targets for disorder.
- Media Accountability: The group addressed instances where local newspapers used derogatory terms like “perverts” in association with police activity, leading to formal apologies from press sub-editors.
- School Bullying: In August 1998, the committee began exploring training for School Liaison Officers (SLOs) to ensure that school bullying policies explicitly addressed homophobia.
Later Evolution
By 2002, the group had evolved into the Staffordshire Police Sexuality and Gender Identity Liaison Committee. It continued to influence policies on male and transgendered rape and investigations where the gay community was involved.
The group increasingly included LGB police officers within its own membership. In 2006 Staffordshire Police were recognised by Stonewall as being the most “gay friendly” employer in Britain. This accolade was remarkable given the local police force’s past poor relations with the LGBT community.
Copyright Notice
News clippings in this post were compiled by Andrew Colclough from various archives as part of his personal research into local LGBT+ history and are shared here for educational purposes on the basis of fair personal/non commercial use. Copyright, where applicable, remains with the original publishers. Photographs are believed to be in the public domain and sources are credited where possible – please contact us if any further permissions or acknowledgments are required. All original text is © Andrew Colclough. Thank you!