Lincolnshire Emergency Services prepare to march for Pride in Lincoln this Saturday

Lincolnshire Police will be marching at Pride in Lincoln on Saturday 20 August, alongside The Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, and East Midlands Ambulance Services.

 

Detective Chief Inspector Rachael Cox at Lincolnshire Police said:

“Pride is the opportunity for a collective of people to come together and feel safe in company with others from the same community, there is something about the atmosphere which brings people together in celebrating who they are.”

“We have a number of officers and staff who identify within the LGBT+ community who are comfortable in being visible and representative at such events. Parading and identifying ourselves as Police Officers whether as LGBT+ or an ally allows us to demonstrate what Lincolnshire Police stands for. This isn’t about tokenism, often it’s forgotten that Police Officers are regular people of the community too, and parading allows us to demonstrate this.”

Superintendent Philip Baker at Lincolnshire Police said:

“When I joined the Force, it was to look after people and engaging with our communities is part of what we do. We received over 250 reports of hate crime based on victims’ sexual orientation and/or gender identity in the last year. We know that sadly there are still many more hate crimes that go unreported. We want people to come forward. We want to build confidence in our communities, make them feel safe and confident in the service that we can provide to them.”

“Attending events like Pride has nothing to do with making political statements, it’s about supporting members of our community and ensuring that they feel safe. Not only is Pride a celebration of the LGBT+ community, but it is also a demonstration that we will not tolerate hate crime in our county.”

 

Caroline Scott, Chair of the EMA LGBT+ Network, Specialist Paramedic and Clinical Education Development Specialist said:

“It’s important that we attend as many events as possible, to be able to show our wider communities that the emergency services are accessible to everyone who needs us in an emergency. All our patients will be treated with kindness, respect and dignity regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation.”

 

Helen Tooley, Divisional Commander at Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue said:

“As with many community events around the county, Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue will be out and about to talk to residents and visitors about fire safety and careers within the service. As an inclusive employer we want our firefighters to reflect the communities we serve, so come and talk to us throughout the day on Tentercroft Street!”

 

Visit the website to find out more about Lincoln Pride

 

Read more about what a hate crime is, and how to report it

 

Call 999 in an emergency where life is in immediate danger.