LGBTQ+ : Our work in this area

As a public service

Priority areas in service delivery for LGBTQ+ communities include tackling hate crime and eliminating barriers to reporting hate crime and hate incidents. Hate crimes are an abhorrent form of criminality which can cause harm to individuals, families, and wider communities. We work hard to robustly target offenders who commit hate crime and with the support of partner agencies, we work hard to provide the necessary support to safeguard and reassure victims.  

Evaluating public experiences is central to our approach and involves engaging with LGBTQ+ people in our communities, this work is done by our local policing teams as well as our cohort of Hate Crime officers. It helps to inform a range of policing activities and along with other mechanisms including the work of our Independent Advisory Group (IAG)  provides scrutiny around the delivery of our service which should always be proud, professional, and positive.

As an employer

As a force, we are committed to developing the overall structure of equality, diversity, and inclusion across South Wales Police, in our workforce and in the services we provide.

We are an equal opportunities employer, and we are determined to attract, employ and support a workforce which is representative of the diverse society which we serve.

We are committed to achieving a working environment which is free from any form of harassment, intimidation, bullying or victimisation.

We are proud to have a vibrant range of staff associations and networks to support not only those who work for South Wales Police but also supporting us as an organisation, helping the decisions we make.

LGBT+ Network

The Wales LGBT+ Police Network was created to support the LGBTQ+ people working within Welsh policing. Its aims are to promote a safe space for officers and staff to bring their authentic selves into the workplace and access specialist support when needed, building a community. It also acts as a critical friend to the organisation in helping create supportive policies, providing community insight and encouraging best practice within the organisation to assist with improving the way in which we police LGBTQ+ people within Wales and support our own workforce.

The network also help to create a positive relationship with the wider community to help improve relations with the police service. The Network collaborates with other staff support networks across Wales and the UK to improve the experience of policing minority groups within the LGBTQ+ community, such as Trans or non-binary people, Bi people and LGBTQ+ people from ethnic minority backgrounds who have traditionally not had a voice within the LGBTQ+ policing arena.

Addressing and learning from the past

We understand that historical prejudice and ill-treatment directed towards LGBTQ+ by South Wales Police caused a great deal of suffering to many in the LGBTQ+ community. We acknowledge past injustices, and the harm caused by discriminatory systems, processes and some unacceptable behaviour from our workforce  

While we cannot undo the past, we must use past failings to learn and improve the service we provide to the LGBTQ+ community. Our new Strategic Equality Plan provides a route map detailing how we intend to achieve our vision of being the best at understanding and responding to the needs of all our communities and, how we will treat all members of the South Wales Police family with the dignity and respect they deserve.

We are developing an engagement plan to improve the service we provide to members of LGBTQ+ community in south Wales. We want this initiative to be led by our LGBTQIA+ communities, a community led approach will help us understand specific issues, challenges and concerns and acknowledge past injustices.

We don’t take success or an improvement in trust and confidence of the LGBTQ+ community for granted. However, we believe that this approach, including participation in events such as Pride, will help rebuild trust and ensure that past failings are not repeated. 

If you have any questions or would like to be involved in our engagement work please contact our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team: [email protected]