Simple reason why police are right

I write with slight incredulity that in 2017 I have to remind a columnist why ‘white heterosexual middle aged men’ do not need Kent Police to demonstrate they are supportive of them, especially when the same columnist has shown support for LGBT+ rights in the past.

In his column, Harry Bell (September 14) seems to forget the difference between a victim of crime and the perpetrator, the former to which the police should not be blind to differences and the latter to which they should.

The reason that the police should be applauded for decking out a few cars in a “Pride flag” is simple – the LGBT+ community need a clear show of support from the police because, unlike Harry Bell, they are more likely to be a victim of harassment (or worse) and are less likely to report it.

The police have a duty to fight crime, and to do that, they need the trust of the victims. Reaching out to marginalised groups is not exclusionary if the groups already feel excluded, it is the opposite.

Does Harry Bell object to the police having a stand at Pride Canterbury? If not, then he must accept that the cars are just an extension of the mission served by being at our annual event – a mission which does not last one day a year.

At Pride Canterbury we work closely with Kent Police, and we appreciate their continuing efforts to make Canterbury a safer place for