Thu 17 Jan 2013 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Gay police officers in London's Pride parade Fears that disruption by anti-gay protesters requiring police intervention could lead to police officers being seen as lacking impartiality are behind the instruction that uniforms are not to be worn by gay police officers marching in next month's Auckland Pride Parade. Several gay Auckland officers had requested advice from their bosses as to whether wearing their uniforms when they march in the Pride Parade was permitted. "Any police participants in the Pride Parade are at liberty to identify themselves as police staff by any means that do not bring the organisation into disrepute," Assistant Police Commissioner Upper North, Allan Boreham says in a written statement to GayNZ.com Daily News. "But the wearing of police uniforms when off duty has strict conditions around it in order to preserve the perception and actuality of impartiality of officers, in all situations," he says. "Put simply, if there was to be any confrontation between parade participants and people who may protest against the parade, which then required the intervention of officers, police generally could be seen as lacking impartiality when dealing with the situation due to the participation of uniformed officers in the parade." "The gay officers have since been advised of the regulations which I have outlined," Boreham says. Asked how this ruling might affect gay people's perceptions of the police, with recruiting campaigns in recent years targeting glbt people to join the force to increase its diversity, Boreham says the police "encourage and welcome people, irrespective of gender, ethnicity or sexuality, to apply to join Police in order that New Zealand Police is truly reflective of the society and communities we are called upon to operate in. All those who apply and who are selected to continue on through the recruitment process, do so based on merit, ability and suitability." Boreham says the New Zealand Police is "a diverse organisation which, on a daily basis, deals with and engages with the diversity that comprises New Zealand society, in an impartial and fair manner that does not discriminate or differentiate on the basis of age, sex, religion, ethnicity or sexuality."
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 17th January 2013 - 7:21pm