LGBTI equality advocates have praised Tasmania Police following the release of a new LGBTI recruitment video.
On Friday Tasmania Police released a video featuring the story of a Tasmanian police officer who also happens to be in a same-sex relationship and is raising children with her partner.
Equality Tasmania spokesperson, Rodney Croome, said it was inspiring to see the police service focussing on diversity and inclusion.
“It is inspiring to see Tasmania Police taking pride in the diversity within its ranks and reaching out to LGBTI people who are interested in a policing career.”
“A diverse police service is a more effective police service because it is better able to understand and respond to the needs of an increasingly diverse Tasmanian community.”
“The video released today symbolises how far Tasmania has come since it was the last state to decriminalise homosexuality and advocates for gay law reform were arrested at Salamanca Market.”
“If there are LGBTI people who want to be Tasmanian police officers but doubted if they would be accepted, this video should dispell that doubt.”
The video released today, which is the first of its kind in Tasmania, is part of a broader Tasmania Police recruitment campaign aimed at increasing diversity in police ranks.
Tasmania was the last state to decriminalise homosexuality in 1997. 130 supporters of decriminalisation where arrested in defence of a gay law reform at Salamanca Market in 1988. It was the largest act of LGBTI rights civil disobedience in Australian history.
Following the arrests, Tasmania Police became one of the first police services in Australia to train officers in LGBTI issues.
It went on to appoint LGBTI liaison officers and become the first Tasmanian Government agency to establish a formal liaison group with the LGBTI community. Tasmania police, led by Commissioner Darren Hine, now march in uniform in the annual Tas Pride parade in Hobart.
Take a look at the video.
OIP Staff
