Gay Police Association faces “faith crime” investigation

Scotland Yard are investigating whether The Gay Police Association (GPA) committed a criminal offence following a complaint into an advertisement placed by the association in a national newspaper.

The advertisement, claiming a rise in homophobic attacks was due to religious belief, appeared in the Diversity supplement of the Independent newspaper on 29 June.

The advertisement depicted a Bible next to a pool of blood with the heading “in the name of the father” and said “In the last 12 months, the GPA has recorded a 74 per cent increase in homophobic incidents, where the sole or primary motivating factor was the religious belief of the perpetrator.”

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police confirmed it was investigating the complaint and was in consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service about the matter.

The investigation follows bitter public statements from members of the GPA and the Christian Police Association, particularly within the Met.

A spokesperson for the GPA was unavailable to comment.