Police partnership – Gay and Lesbian Liaison Officers
New South Wales, Australia

At the end of the 1980s, different groups and organisations in New South Wales (Australia) championed for the rights of gays and lesbians in part as a response to acts of violence targeting members of the gay community. They distributed a survey by the Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby, entitled the Streetwatch Survey (1988) aimed at addressing the consequences of this type of violence, which lead to the report of the same name being published in 1990. 

The Anti-Discrimination Board, established in the late 1970s, subsequently created the Streetwatch Implementation Advisory Committee in order to study the recommendations of the aforementioned report, whose work is now associated with numerous ministers as well as gay and lesbian community organisations.

 

It is within this context that the positions of Gay and Lesbian Liaison Officer (GLLO) were introduced in the New South Wales Police Service. There are approximately 130 GLLOs who assist gays and lesbians who may have been victims of  violence and harassment, domestic violence, and sexual assault.  Another aspect of their job involves increasing the level of confidence among gays and lesbians towards the police and addressing the homophobic attitudes and behaviors of youth, who are most often the perpetrators of violence directed at the gay and lesbian community.

 

More specifically, the role of these officers is to:

-  Increase awareness about the issues related to crimes targeting the gay and lesbian community.

-   Act as a liaison between these communities and identify areas characterized by a high level of street crime.

-  Working with the community to find solutions.

-  To become involved, wherever possible, in the activities of the gay and lesbian community.

 

It is not too surprising that this initiative originates from New South Wales, given that its capital, Sydney, is now the second largest gay capital in the world after San Francisco, with a gay and lesbian community that has its own businesses, celebrations, and diverse associations. It is also important to note that until the 1970s, in Australia, homosexuality was considered to be a mental illness and it was only in 1984 that it was decriminalized in New South Wales, and that relations with the police, until then, had been tense and difficult. 

In 1998, a report was published by the Homosexual Advance Defence Working Party, involving several partners including the justice sector, the police, the gay and lesbian lobby group, and the University of New South Wales.  Underlining the unhealthy homophobic attitude among the masses, one of the recommendations was the establishment of a gay and lesbian liaison for the Minister, who will act as a reference point for studies as well as for complaints. Following this report, and from the work of the Crime Prevention Unit under this same minister who exposed the lack of clarity regarding the responsibilities involved in addressing homophobia at the government level, the position of Gay and Lesbian Liaison Officer was established in 1999 within the crime prevention unit.  This position attempts to expand policies, implement programs which help to prevent violence or crime which targets gays, lesbians, and transsexuals, and act as facilitator between the minister and the communities in question.

 

Finally, the example from New South Wales has also been replicated in other Australian states and by the federal police (AFP) who established the Gay and Lesbian Liaison Officers network in 1996 in order to be able to counsel both the population and the AFP personnel.  

Article prepared by: Olivier Barchechat, Research Analyst, ICPC.