Belfast Pride: Officers told not to wear police uniforms

PSNI officers first attended the event in uniform in 2017

Police officers who wish to attend this year's Pride march in Belfast will not be allowed to do so in uniform.

Assistant Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said: "I know this decision will come as a disappointment to some."

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers first paraded in uniform at the event in 2017.

But police have faced criticism as some have seen their attendance as an official endorsement of gay rights campaign issues.

In a statement, Mr Singleton said: "As a police service, we have had to carefully consider this request from our LGBT+ Network on its merits, the stated purposes and circumstances surrounding the parade and our statutory obligations to act with fairness, integrity and impartiality, whilst upholding fundamental human rights and according equal respect to all individuals, their traditions and beliefs."

He added that Pride events remained "an important element of our outreach and engagement".

'Being visible was empowering'

Belfast Pride hosts events between 21 and 30 July with a parade in Belfast on Saturday 29 July.

The PSNI's LGBT+ staff support network said it was "bitterly disappointed" by the decision.

"Participating in Pride has been incredibly empowering for LGBT+ officers and staff," it said in a statement.

"Being visible as a public service in Pride parades inspired hundreds of LGBT+ people to take up policing as a career, it let our communities know we were part of them and that we stood with them against hate crime and discrimination."

The group claimed the decision by the PSNI prevented members from participating in both Belfast Pride shirts or in uniform.

"It has not been made clear to us what has changed for this year or why previously agreed forms of Pride participation have now been withdrawn by the senior executive team," it said.

The PSNI has U-turned on a decision it made in 2017.

It would suggest that part of the reason it revisited the issue was that other staff associations within the force were making similar requests to wear uniforms at external events.

It is also suggesting to me that the theme of this year's parade - which is titled Stand Up For Your Trans - had nothing to do with the decision.

The PSNI issued its statement on Friday afternoon and did not make anyone available to answer questions on its decision.

Yet this is a highly symbolic move and one which was going to attract media attention, scrutiny and questions.

Alliance Party MLA Nuala McAllister, who is also a member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, criticised the move.

In a tweet, she described it as "a backward step".

Ms McAllister was Lord Mayor of Belfast in 2017 when the PSNI and Gardaí (Irish police) officers marched in uniform in the parade for the first time.

SDLP councillor Séamus de Faoite said he had written to Chief Constable Simon Byrne, seeking an urgent meeting with him and "leaders within the LGBT+ community".

"There has been significant damage to LGBT+ community confidence in policing caused by their decision to withdraw from Belfast Pride," he posted on Twitter.

Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) councillor Timothy Gaston welcomed the decision by the PSNI, adding that the force had "no business" taking part in the parade.

He said the PSNI had been right to make the decision in order to recognise their "fairness, integrity and impartiality obligations".