Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has defended the presence of police at Pride in an exclusive interview with GAY TIMES.
The presence of police at Pride events has been one that divides a community. For many, the presence of the Metropolitan police can seem hostile and a threat to personal security.
As public trust in the police falls under scrutiny, the mayor of London has wholeheartedly backed the service and said it has made “huge progress” in the last few years.
“It’s really important that we recognise the progress has been made. One of the reasons why LGBTQ+ members of the police service like marching in Pride in London is because of the sense of solidarity,” Khan told GAY TIMES.
As part of his manifesto pledge to support the LGBTQ+ community, Khan reiterated his zero-tolerance attitude towards hate crime. However, many question whether this will make a visible difference in the Metropolitan police service.
Khan has promised to address these concerns and concentrate efforts to reassure LGBTQ+ Londoners.
“I’ve invested more in supporting groups like Gallup to make sure we root out any form of hate crime in our city. There’s been more recording of it, which is good but we need to make sure there are more prosecutions. We want the police to be allies in our fight against hate crime,” he explained.
He added: “It’s really important that we recognise that in the police service, the fire service, in Transport for London, in City Hall, and in a number of large institutions within our city. The LGBTQ+ community contributes hugely to their success and hugely to our city’s success. We will learn to be as inclusive as possible, rather than excluding people.”
Tackling discrimination and prejudice is a priority for the Mayor of London. He has ensured the Met police is doing its best to address these issues inside the police service sector.
“The Met police commissioner herself said last year, [and] accepted, that the police service isn’t free of racism, bias and discrimination. And that means we’re more determined than ever to root out any issues the police have, which is why we published an action plan,” Khan told GAY TIMES.
The post Exclusive: Sadiq Khan defends police presence at Pride events appeared first on GAY TIMES.
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