In response to the demands of an activist group to address the issue of "homophobic victimization," Commissioner Mark Rowley, the head of London's Metropolitan Police, issued an apology

to the city's LGBT+ community on Wednesday, acknowledging the past failings. The apology was conveyed in a letter addressed to gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell and was published by Tatchell's foundation.

Rowley, the highest-ranking police officer in the country, expressed regret for the shortcomings of the past and expressed his commitment to creating a new Metropolitan Police that all Londoners can take pride in and have confidence in. He stated, "I am sorry to all of the communities we have let down for the failings of the past and look forward to building a new Met for London, one all Londoners can be proud of and in which they can have confidence." Rowley also emphasized that there is much work to be done to rectify the situation.

Peter Tatchell, a prominent British gay rights activist, referred to the persecution experienced by the LGBT+ community in the 1950s when male homosexuality was illegal in Britain. He further highlighted the continued mistreatment in the decades following its decriminalization in 1967. Tatchell asserted that if the police claim to have changed, they must demonstrate it by acknowledging the wrongs of the past.

This apology follows an independent review conducted less than three months ago, which concluded that the police force, consisting of over 43,000 officers and staff, is institutionally racist, misogynistic, and homophobic. In light of this, Rowley announced that the Met would release a new plan specifically tailored for LGBT+ Londoners. Additionally, he pledged to reinstate LGBT+ community liaison officers across the capital. Photo by Ross Burgess, Wikimedia commons.