well as private individuals which are unwittingly discriminatory
against black people, then this is an allegation which deserves
serious consideration, and, where proved, swift remedy.Some recent developments show evidence of commitment to
provide equality and diversity to all prospective applicants
including gay and lesbian citizens. In England and Wales the Gay
Police Association was set up in 1990. Recently it has been work-
ing towards introducing a sexual orientation scheme, in order to
monitor the sexual orientation of all its staff. Clearly not all staff
may wish to divulge such personal information, but it does offer
staff members the choice to do so if they wish. The Gay Police
Association aims to support gay staff and to educate the police
service and central government on issues connected with sexual
orientation and policing. This includes policy development, the
investigation of homophobic hate crime, victim care, and
community liaison. It is estimated that there are over 5.8 million
members of the public throughout England and Wales who are
lesbian or gay. Having officers of diverse sexual orientation may
improve the service provided to the community, especially for
those who may feel marginalized or victimized because of their
sexuality.
Police forces in many countries enjoy a positive relationship with
the public. Despite periods of unrest, allegations of racism, sexism
and awkward interactions with youths, citizens in such countries
generally have trust and respect for the police. Both police and cit-
izens support the concept that effective policing requires public
support, therefore to provide a professional police service the
police must work with the community. Many writers believe that
it is the notion of ‘policing by consent’ that is the hallmark of
British policing. The British police are proud to remain routinely
unarmed, retain the principal of minimum force and carry a min-
imal amount of equipment for their own protection. Throughout
policing 47