The police have made huge leaps forward, but things don’t always go the way they should. Galop can help to put problems right with the police. We can give advice and information on your options or make a formal complaint on your behalf if you’re unhappy about something they’ve done.
Read Yolanda’s story
Yolanda lived in her local community for over 20 years and never experienced any problems. One day she was shopping in her local street when she received homophobic abuse by a market stall holder and his colleague. She called the police and asked for assistance. Yolanda felt that the officers who attended mishandled the incident and allowed the perpetrators to control the situation. No action was taken against the men and they were not warned about using further abusive language towards Yolanda in front of the officers.
Yolanda felt humiliated by both the abuse and the reaction of the police. She approached Galop for help and advice. Galop referred the case to the local LGBT Liaison Officer and set up a meeting which a Galop caseworker attended. Although the liaison officer wasn’t able to deal with the incident as a complaint, Yolanda was able to make a formal statement. As a result, a case was opened. The officers attending the incident were spoken to by a senior officer about their handling of the incident and it was agreed that the officers would speak to the perpetrators and warn them about their behaviour.
Yolanda felt reassured that the police had taken action.
Click here to read our factsheet on police complaints
You can talk to us in confidence about a problem with the police on 0207 704 6767
Note: we have not used actual names or images.
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