Meanwhile here’s what the police are up to...
HUNDREDS of policemen and women are wearing rainbow shoulder badges on their uniforms to show their support for gay pride events.
Pictures of them with the eye-catching epaulettes have appeared online in the run up to the landmark London Pride festival next month.
Chief police officers said staff should be able to ‘express their gender or sexuality in a proud way’ and ‘reflect the communities we serve’.
But one campaign group questioned whether the epaulettes represent a ‘way of thinking about spending’ that shows a lack of focus on the basic task of fighting crime.
Forces are under unprecedented pressure to tackle a surge in violent crime after cutting officer numbers. This week special constables from North Yorkshire Police took delivery of their badges as they prepared to police a Pride event in Harrogate.
In Northumbria, a member of the public posted a shot of a senior officer wearing stripey badges with the hashtag #northumberlandpride2018.
Also spotted parading them was Leicestershire Police Assistant Chief Constable Phil Kay, who describes himself as a ‘straight ally of the LGBT community’.
But James Price, of The TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘It’s encouraging to see that the police want to show support, but it’s at best questionable whether this was a wise use of spending.
‘Taxpayers are fed up of hearing the police complain about a lack of funds, only to see money spent on non-essential services. These epaulettes may not be a fortune in overall budgets, but they represent a way of thinking about spending that is far removed from focusing on fighting crime.’