A Leeds police officer has been praised for taking the time to sit and listen to a teenage girl struggling with family life after telling her parents about her sexuality.
West Yorkshire Police Inspector Katie Madden, who works as a custody inspector, was conducting a review of the detention of a 14-year-old girl who then suddenly noticed the officer's LGBTQ lanyard. Inspector Madden detailed what happened next in a thread on her Twitter page.
She wrote: "Went to conduct a review of detention of a 14yr old in custody last night, as soon as I opened the door, she sat bolt upright, pointed towards my #LGBTQ lanyard & asked if she could speak to me. I sat in the cell with her whilst she told me how her parents struggle to accept...that she's lesbian, they stop her seeing her girlfriend, arguments happen, she gets frustrated and struggles to deal with her emotions then either ends up going missing or arrested.
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"I spent time talking to her about how parents will always try & protect their children, that going missing & shouting/kicking off aren't the answers. We talked about how she could control her reactions to events, not the events around her.
"Throughout she had tears on & off. She was picking & nibbling her fingers, clear signs of anxiety. I gave her some of my personal experiences to normalise what she's experiencing but it's always hard to see young people struggling like that.
"She explained how most of her friends identify as LGBTQ+ & that it's just normal to her generation. I just hope my time & words made a difference...there's always hope. HOPE is what makes Officers stay in the job. Another reason why I always wear my lanyard."
Colleagues and members of the public praised the officer for taking time out to listen. Deputy Chief Constable Catherine Hankinson wrote: "Brilliant thread Katie."
Inspector Madden replied: "Just shows how powerful a simple identifier such as a lanyard can be and how important that visible, open representation is Ma'am."
Twitter user Jules added: "That’s really nice that you as an Insp found time to sit and talk to a young person struggling with things doesn’t happen a lot as your really busy I hope she’s ok and manages to sort herself out."
Inspector Madden wrote: "It was a particularly busy shift as always in Leeds but sometimes, you have to just put time aside for some individuals, as there are quite a few, whilst in a cell, who are at a cross-roads and need a nudge in the right direction."
Twitter user Maddie wrote: "Love this. Thank you for being there that young girl will remember this for the rest of her life! Trust me I've been there (not in a police cell but similar circumstances) truly amazing."
Inspector Madden is co-chair of the West Yorkshire Police LGBT group and is a former detective constable. Her current role is Leeds district custody inspector.
West Yorkshire Police shared a screenshot of the thread. A spokesman said: "The side of policing that people don't see."
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