By Hilary White
WYMONDHAM, Norfolk, July 22, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Graham Cogman, a 49 year-old police constable living in North Norfolk, claims that his professional life is being turned into a “nightmare” because he objects to the support of the police force for the homosexual political agenda.
“The blatant support for homosexual rights in Norfolk Police makes being a Christian officer extremely difficult,” he told the Evening Standard, claiming that a “small number” of colleagues are using the police internal investigations system to intimidate him.
Cogman attends the Church of England and has served in the police for over 15 years after 12 years in the Royal Air Force. He is taking the force to the Employment Tribunal after several years of what he says amounts to harassment over his religious beliefs and religiously based objections to homosexuality.
“I am not undertaking this action lightly but I have to make a stand when things become so blatantly biased against me just because I hold a faith.”
He told media this week that he has been under investigation several times after objecting to wearing ribbons to mark “Gay History Month.” An email was circulated by “gay liaison” officers encouraging staff to wear a pink ribbon on their uniforms. His trouble started when he sent an email around saying that he thought homosexual activity was sinful. For this, he was barred from using the internal message system.
Similar incidents over other homosexual events led to a full disciplinary hearing after he sent a fellow officer information on the Christian symbolism of the rainbow and some objections to homosexual behaviour. He was advised by his lawyers to plead guilty to a breach of the police code of conduct or risk losing his job. Cogman was fined £1,200 or 13 days’ pay.
He was later investigated again when he circulated information on a Christian helpline and put a Christian message on the screensaver of his computer. A “diversity adviser” maintained that the website contained “offensive” links. He now faces a second disciplinary hearing and fears losing his job.
“Internal politics are making it difficult to do what we should be doing,” he said. “We get more flak from inside the force than outside these days.”
A spokesman for Norfolk Police said, “We welcome people of all beliefs and races into the workforce and fully respect everyone’s views. However, the force will not tolerate any form of homophobic behaviour. While we fully respect the officer has strong beliefs, it is only correct that he respects the beliefs and wishes of others.”
The problem of the politicising of British policing is slowly becoming known to the public. Several anonymous police officers have created popular weblogs that highlight the erosion of Britain’s police force by politically correct ideology and bureaucratic careerism.
“PC Bloggs,” who says she serves in the “Blandshire Constabulary” in an “average town somewhere in England” has written a book on the problems of the new “managerial” style of policing that gives more attention to paperwork than stopping crime. She has had to carefully guard her identity for fear of retribution from police management.
“It’s all about ‘targets’ these days. Our force isn’t that bothered who we arrest, or why, as long as we fill our cells,” PC Bloggs said in her book, “Diary of an On-Call Girl: True Stories from the Front Line,” excerpted in the Daily Mail last year.
With the reduction of police presence of the street and the political and bureaucratic obsessions of police management, “modern policing is part George Orwell, part Franz Kafka,” PC Bloggs writes. She says the public has “absolutely no idea what’s going on in the police.”
“[M]ost police officers and civilian staff are stuck in offices all day, sending emails, drawing up policy, auditing files, planning strategy, liaising with community groups, managing complaints, circulating strategy documents, setting targets and sending more emails.”
“Laying hands on baddies? In our dreams.”
Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
UK Tribunal Rules that Christian Cannot be Forced to Conduct Gay Partnership Ceremony
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jul/08071003.html