POLICE FARCE!
Chief Constable cuts ties with male voice choir because they won’t have any female members
A POLICE force has severed all ties with its male voice choir because it does not promote gender equality.
For seven decades The Derbyshire Constabulary Male Voice Choir has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity at events across the country.
But they have found they are not singing from the same hymn sheet as the force’s Chief Constable Peter Goodman who says he can no longer support the male-only bastion.
After refusing a request to introduce around 50 female singers and become a mixed voice outfit, the choir was told it must end its historic association with Derbyshire Police.
From June the choir will change its name to the Derbyshire Community Male Voice Choir, a move that has hit a sour note with members.
One chorister said: “For 62 years this choir has done nothing but good work for the force and charities. The choir will survive and hopefully flourish but it’s hard after all these years being told you’re no longer wanted.
“We’ve never hidden the fact we’re a male voice choir. It’s nonsense.”
The choir started in 1956 as the Derby Police Choir and membership was later opened up to outsiders.
All members are now civilians but they wear old-fashioned police uniforms on stage – the only choir in the country to do so.
That will now end as all links to the force are axed.
The choir, which meets at St Mary’s Wharf Police Station in Derby, will also need a new rehearsal venue.
Chairman Kevin Griffiths said it had raised about £750,000 for local good causes since its formation.
He said: “We fully understand the rationale behind Mr Goodman’s decision. However, we felt unable to accept his invitation. Such a change would have required the recruitment of up to 50 new female members with a host of associated costs.
“We felt such a change would have destroyed the choir and it was better to continue under a new name.”
Mr Griffiths said they would acquire new clothing and try to create a “more contemporary” image.
“The choir are seeking to attract new members and believe their association with the constabulary may have prevented potential members joining in the past,” he added.
“We see this as a great opportunity to develop the choir even further over the next few years.”
Derbyshire’s Chief Constable Peter Goodman said: “We are an equal opportunities employer and we are committed to having an organisation where there are no enclaves where people from different backgrounds cannot go.
“We need to represent communities in every aspect of our public presence. Having a male voice choir is incompatible with this, especially as there are no members employed by or who volunteer with us. I wish them all the very best.”