Police gay group 'tainted brand'

8:10am Wednesday 20th August 2008

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Aurora, Croydon's gay police consultation group will decide if it has a future next month.

The group is facing closure due to a lack of support.

It will have its future decided by officers of the group and members of Croydon’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in September.

Former chairman Nick Hughes, who considers the group already defunct, said: “The organisation needs to change or be allowed to develop. It has never been an organisation that is, or ever has been open to scrutiny.

“While I, and many others, whole heartedly support the work of the police and particularly its LGBT liaison officer, David Kay, I now consider Aurora as a tainted brand.

“It cannot, in its current format, gain the support of the police and the victims of crime as it has failed to include integral members of the LGBT community.”

The group, which works to represent homosexual and transsexual issues to the Croydon police community group, will hold a meeting on September 9, where a motion to close it will be discussed.

If Aurora is to close, any funds associated with it must be distributed to other, similar causes in the borough.

Some members of the group approve of its closure. Local LGBT people are entitled to vote at the meeting.

Aurora's Roger Burg said: “The police are concerned that we haven't got enough people from the community on board. We work hard to get everyone involved but it is difficult.

“We have done a great deal of work with a lot of people; we have done work for trans gender people, for asylum seekers and for the Asian community. Our problem is getting people to be active.”

PCSO David Kaye, the LGBT liaison officer for Croydon Police said: "We have achieved great working relationships with all of Croydon's LGBT community groups."