NYP Policy on Policing Events

NYP Policy on Policing Events

by TIM HICKS

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High Court rules that allowing uniformed Police Officers to participate in a ‘Pride’ march is unlawful.

In a victory for common sense and an impartial Police Force, the High Court has ruled that it was unlawful for a Chief Constable to allow uniformed Police Officers to participate in a ‘Pride’ march.

A case was brought against Northumbria Police Chief Constable Vanessa Jardine by Ms Linzi Smith, from Newcastle, who is a lesbian who describes herself as being “gender critical”. That is, she believes that sex is biological, immutable, and binary, and that trans women are in fact men and trans men are in fact women – a controversial view for some transgender rights supporters.

Ms Smith successfully argued that the participation of the Chief Constable and some of her Officers while they were on duty and in uniform in the 2024 Newcastle Pride Parade, meant they would have been unable to remain impartial,in the event that a dispute arose between people participating in the parade and transgender rights supporters had broken out.

Northumbria Police justified its participation on the basis that participating in the Pride Parade allowed it to be visible in the LGBT community and demonstrate that the stigma which has traditionally afflicted members of the LGBT+ community is not reflected in the Police.

Statement of policy by North Yorkshire Police (NYP)

NYP Chief Constable Tim Forber issued this policy statement on this issue:

“It is absolutely essential that the police act impartially at all times and are seen to do so by all the communities we serve. Participating in protest activity, or parades that support any ‘cause’ can quite rightly undermine the public’s confidence in that impartiality, especially where there are a range of legitimate views about any particular issue.

Ahead of any court ruling there was already a visible change in the policing presence at Pride events in North Yorkshire as demonstrated at York Pride in June 2025. I am absolutely clear that the only North Yorkshire Police officers on duty and in uniform at such events will be those actively engaged in policing the event. Of course, any North Yorkshire Police officer who wishes to ‘participate’ in a parade or lawful protest may do so, but they must be off duty and are not permitted to wear their uniform. I do not allow the altering of police uniform or the changing of the livery of police vehicles to show support for any cause.

The public expect their police force to be focused on keeping them safe; reducing crime; and bringing offenders to justice and North Yorkshire Police is determined to do just that. Over the past year, in York and North Yorkshire, all crime fell by 5.8%; anti-social behaviour by nearly 18%; we arrested 330 more offenders than the previous year; and we now have the highest charge rate of any police force in the country.”

This is a very clear and sensible statement by the Chief Constable. It is commendable that Chief Constable Forber had changed Force policy even before the High Court ruling was announced.

However, unfortunately it has not always been that way in North Yorkshire.

This 2023 article from the NYP Website North Yorkshire Police take part in York Pride 2023 proudly announces that Chief Constable Winward, Police Officers, PCSOs, Special Constables, staff and volunteers all paraded and patrolled at the York Pride Parade on Saturday the 3^rd of June 2023. Behaviour that has now been ruled unlawful.

NYE Coverage on this Issue

The NYE has argued against using Police vehicles and uniforms to appear to publicise or show support for any cause. It has also opposed the Police appearing to support one woke politically correct cause over another. The worst example of this was when the Metropolitan Police allowed demonstrations by Extinction Rebellion and Black Lives Matter during the COVID lockdown, but brutally crushed a vigil for poor Miss Sarah Everard, who was murdered by PC Wayne Couzens.

It cannot be right for Police Officers and staff to receive pay for participating in demonstrations, protests or parades of any sort while they are on duty, when it is difficult to get a Police response to a burglary. As Chief Constable Forber’s statement above makes clear, Police Officers are paid to fight crime, not to attend protests and publicise a cause by wearing their uniform at a demonstration, no matter how strongly they may feel about the issue.