Staffordshire Police issues formal apology for historic “ill‑treatment” of LGBTQ+ people

Staffordshire Police has issued a formal apology for the historic “ill‑treatment” of LGBTQ+ people, acknowledging that previous policing practices caused harm and undermined trust within the community.

The force becomes the 22nd police force in the UK to apologise for past homophobic policies and practices, following an appeal by the Peter Tatchell Foundation as part of its Apologise Now! campaign.

In a letter addressed to the charity, Acting Chief Constable Becky Riggs expressed her “sincere regret” and a “heartfelt apology” for the enforcement of laws that criminalised homosexuality. She acknowledged that while officers were required to uphold the law at the time, “some individuals in policing acted in ways that went beyond what the law required and caused harm”.

The letter admits that historic enforcement was often “inappropriate, discriminatory and fell short of the standards the public should expect”, and recognises the lasting damage this mistreatment has had on levels of trust and confidence in policing among LGBTQ+ communities.

Ms Riggs said Staffordshire Police was committed to rebuilding that trust and highlighted a number of measures taken in recent years to improve relations. These include the work of the force’s LGBTQ+ staff network, expanded mechanisms for reporting hate crime, specialist LGBTQ+ awareness training for officers and a zero‑tolerance approach to discrimination within the force. She also pointed to initiatives such as Hate Crime Spotlight to strengthen responses to anti‑LGBTQ+ incidents.

Responding to the apology, Peter Tatchell, director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, said it represented an important step in confronting past injustices.

“This apology is a much‑appreciated acknowledgement of the suffering caused by decades of discriminatory policing,” he said. “We are pleased to see that Staffordshire Police are committed to matching their words with sustained action to ensure LGBTQ+ people are protected, respected and treated equally.”

Mr Tatchell said the foundation would continue to urge other police forces to follow suit. “So far, 22 forces have apologised, including London’s Metropolitan Police. This is many times more police apologies than in any other country in the world,” he said.

However, he added that 23 chief constables have yet to issue an apology, including those leading West Midlands Police, Greater Manchester Police and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, forces he described as having “the worst history of homophobic witch‑hunts”.

While welcoming Staffordshire Police’s acknowledgement that “there is still more work to do”, Mr Tatchell said the apology marked “a significant moment in confronting a painful chapter in policing history” and a reminder that rebuilding trust required both honesty about past failings and continued vigilance in the present.