Gay policemen exist in many Countries already. On Internet the famous New Scotland Yard site (www.met.police.uk) until recently contained (under the letter "G" section for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and transgender Advisory Team) their project about a permanent anti-homophobic police task force, that will assist and consult to resolve specific crimes, such as murder, serious assault, repeated victimisation and any kind of matter GLBT Community and Groups report. The Advisory Group will also work to increase and improve
the relationship between the GLBT Community and Police.(A copy of this article can be obtained through us.)
This Project will study the impact on the GLBT reality of statutory and external problems and promote studies to review and improve investigation methods related to those crimes known as "homophobic hate crimes". The different experiences of each category (hidden and visible gays and lesbians, married, active in the Community, Bisexuals, Pansexuals, Transexuals, Transgenders, Transvestites and Prostitutes) will be examinated. The gay/lesbian police must become operative, working openly and proudly without hiding themselves. A fundamental part of their activity is to be in contact with victims and to support them, their families and their witnesses.
They will be active against domestic violence, present in those environments of sexual encounters and in supporting the GLBT members who are dismissed from their jobs because of their sexual orientation.
Members of the GLBT Advisory Team, will keep regular contact with each Group and promote groups meetings, making written reports and research if necessary. All Members of the Advisory Team must be self-identified as pansexual, lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, with a good knowledge of GLBT Communities; knowledge and commitment of equality and diversity; have contemporary experience, interest and knowledge of police issues;
willingness to work constructively with both the police and the Group. They will have to attend regularly meetings of the Group and any sub-groups they might be appointed (i.e. at least 75% of the meetings). Members also require to have commitment to the values of the GLBT Community Advisory Group: Transparency, Accountability, Diversity, Credibility; An asset will be the
involvement in GLBT communities, working and residing in London, the desire and commitment to advocate for the GLBT issues (e.g. sex workers), willingness to attend critical incidents at short notice and during un-social hours.
The Community Advisory Groups on race and homophobic issues have a key role to play in advising the Metropolitan Police Service on its 'Diversity Programme'.
Following the nail boms in April 1999 in London, the Metropolitan Police invited the most vulnerable and impacted communities to several briefings and to a special conference on 12th May 1999 called 'The MPS and Partners Against Hate Crime'. At this time the communities showed great energy, commitment and a willingness to engage the police in constructive dialogue.
This planning has been undertaken by members of GLBT communities, the London Lesbian & Gay Policing Initiative, a member of the race Community Advisory Group and members of the MPS Racial & Violent Crime Task Force and Community
Safety Directorate. The outcome is a determination on both the police and community sides to build a robust and effective partnership which has the resilience to engage in policy development and oversight of routine operational policing.
Membership of the GLBT Community Advisory Group is on a voluntary basis.
However, the MPS will refund expenses and consider reasonable compensation to individuals and organization for their time and has a commitment to meeting access requirements of people with disabilities, including the translation of documents, etc.
The Progamme has been issued by New Scotland Yard in cooperation with Universities and GLBT Communities.
The presence inside a Police Departement of self-identified homosexuals is very important for the informative and investigative work involved. Many crimes against gay people like murders, violence, robberies, blackmails and
theft, are still unsolved and many not reported. More then this, an openly pansexual policeman/woman is not blackmailable and every GLBT can rely on him/her completely.
In The Netherlands exist since many years gay policemen and lesbian
policewomen.
A Project started in 1995 called "Police and Diversity" proposed a Police "rich of colours".
In June 1998 The Ministry of the Interior issued a booklet titled "Pink in blue, Police and Homosexuality", to promote the improvement of the climate of work and increase the accessibility of homosexual people in the Police Force.
The Ministry, Police Department, Police Unions and of course gays and lesbians are asked for a big commitment to eliminate discrimination. Dutch Police planned to represent all different strata of population. Representing different opinions and different life styles is considered an important condition for legitimacy and efficiency of Police.
The multicultural policy adopted puts every police member on the same level.
If racism and discrimination wouldn't exist, we wouldn't need to organize anti-racism and anti-discrimination task forces. In a open and tolerant Society we would'nt need to calculate the percentual quota of minority groups. Anti-marginalization policy must be the first step to a modern Society.
The outcome of a research is that an organization composed by people of different cultures, genders, race, sexual orientation are more adaptable to society changes. Police must be ready to work in an "evolving society". To start the integration project inside police sectors, can be difficult in the beginning. The Dutch Police decided to give a Tutor to foreign and homosexual members as means to eliminate racism and marginalization. It is very important also to obtain a representation of gay and colored people in
the police management.
The Police Force is legitimized and recognized if it represents in its
composition, each face and aspect of the Society for which it works and exists.
Recruitment of multicultural personnel is not considered as optional, but as a neccessity motivated by clear interest. This is valid for Police and for all the Authorities and Companies.
An Organization which aims at quality, can't ignore women, extra EU citizens and pansexuals, as essential parts of society. All reported are those categories that will enrich police departments with experience, information and knowledge. The mistakes of the past should not be repeated again.
Folders, e-mail messages, free toll phone numbers, newspapers, radio and television (local and national), publications of different Groups, may be used to publish and advertise multicultural policy.
It is very important to change the bad point of view that homosexuals and extra EU citizens have towards the Police, till now considered nearly always as a repressive apparatus. The main
importance of the policeman's job is social and promoting a civil
cohabitation without racism and marginalization, people will consider him as a true defender of law and equity.
The dutch experience teaches that is better to recruit two or three gays together and not one at a time. To improve the acceptance of that which is different, it is also suggested to organize cultural activities to inform all different police branches.
In Italy society is changing also from a typical white/italian population to a multicultural, multicolored, multireligious and pansexual population, creating the consequent necessity for Police to keep regular contacts with all population strata.
To obtain satisfying and lasting results, it is suggested to establish
Courses in Intercultural Communication that will help to promote the
integration of different people that will work together and to teach them "not to marginalize" and "not to hate".
Racism and discrimination must be totally forbidden and a new
Antidiscrimination Behaviour Code explaining to the recruits what
discrimination means and how it is manifested. It is also very important to understand that Society is changing. In the past it was not a crime to kill adults and children of Jewish, Homosexuals and Gypsies or to practise dreadful medical-chirurgical experiments on their bodies. Often the Government was the promoter of such crimes. These kind of crimes have always been addressed to the minorities and were based on prejudices, issued by
fanatic Politicians and Religious Leaders, making the executors of these horrible crimes feel authorized. Today's society does not admit similar racism and marginalization and aims to a right integration.
Another example is the Uxoricide because of infidelity that was punished before with light penalties. The husband felt to be almost legitimized to kill the unfaithful wife, much more, he had to kill her to defend his honour, following a moral philosophy considered today "deviant" that puts women on a secondary level respect to men.
A masculine culture would be a sure failure for the Integration Project.
Managers, at first, will have to show a responsible guideline to the
Organization which is evolving through their attitude towards the people and through their sensible behaviour in which is evident a respectful mentality towards everyone, without difference of skin color, gender, sexual orientation and inside or outside features of the person.
Inside the Police Force, the only method to select people is to consider their professionality. It is not suggested to employ, for example, chinese policemen only to resolve problems inside the Chinese Community. Also Gay policemen and lesbian policewomen must be considered equally and professionally suitable for every Office.
The policy of diversity must improve the police quality both inside and outside.
People working for the three ministries of: the Interior, Defence and
Finance, will be happy to work in a high quality environment. It is
important to understand that the police force which is attentive to
diversity will develop the right sensibility to obtain real respect. The
Police Force has the duty to give "the right example" and they must be attentive to the respect towards everyone much more then other
Organizations.
In Italy this means a cultural revolution. In
August 1998 the Chief of Police of Viterbo (Italy), Vincenzo Boncoraglio, installed the first telephone line in a Police Station dedicated to Homosexuals. The same happened in Rome and other towns. Unfortunately the project failed because gay people were scared to contact the police, but it has been a first step for the police to open to gay problematics. The cooperation of Gay Organizations has been asked by police forces in resolving
cases of homicide relating to the gay community.
In Holland this cultural revolution has already started, an now after the beginning of the project "Police and Diversity" in 1995, the results are visible and encouraging.
The project based on studies of different branches, promotes information to cancel prejudice towards homosexuality.
The police can learn in this way to have a positive attitude for the world of the different, and can acquire a sufficient knowledge towards homosexuality which is a hidden, environmental conspiracy of silence, difficult to be understood, that nowadays is opening itself to the world with relevant social results.
Marginalization induces to hide, and hiding promotes crimes and sickness. To live wearing a mask causes neuroses and psycological damages and costs a painful price for People, Government and Institutions involved.
For Italy I would suggest to create a Commission of studies in the Ministry of the Interior. The commission could take advantage of the previous experience of other Nation's Police forces like those of the United Kingdom and of those of The Netherlands, glad to share their "know how" with the Italian Police Forces.
To arrive to the ideal standard and become an ideal example will not be easy and will take many years.
If 4% of the population is considered homosexual, among the Police Force we should have the same amount.
In Holland they will achieve this 4% already during the current year. All this will improve prestige, representability, efficiency and quality of the Police.
Before concluding I would like to thank, in order of appearance as in the theatre, New Scotland Yard and Dutch Ministry of the Interior (Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken en Koninkrijksrelaties) for all the information, hoping that in the next future we can all enjoy their important experience against every form of racism and marginalization.