Tuesday, 11th August, Hertfordshire-based LGBTQ+ charity Impactful Lives released a press statement criticising Hertfordshire Constabulary for going against its written commitment to display the Pride Progress Flag at community events. In their statement, Impactful Lives cited an email from Chief Constable Andy Prophet dated 19 November.
The Chief Constable gave Impactful Lives an “explicit assurance”, citing the email: “The progress flag will be displayed at community events such as Pride and on key dates. I recognise the importance of this for confidence-building and LGBTQ+ community engagement”. However, the commitment was not followed through at Watford Pride Picnic.
Andrew Waite, Chair of Trustees at Impactful Lives, said: “This is about considerably more than a flag. It is about whether the LGBTQ+ community can rely upon assurances given by its Chief Constable and whether Hertfordshire Constabulary is prepared to listen when those assurances are not honoured.”
In correspondence dated 7 August 2026, Impactful Lives learned that this decision was made after receiving legal advice and national police guidance suggesting that the Pride and Progress Flags could be interpreted by some people as representing a “movement or political cause”.
When requested for comment, Chief Constable Andy Prophet said: “The constabulary will continue to support all communities and treat everybody with respect and dignity. After careful review, I have revised our position around the use of the Pride and Progress flags, and they will no longer be displayed.” Prophet said.
The Chief Constable continued. “Nothing else has changed. We continue to maintain close contact with LGBTQ+ communities inside and outside the organisation as we do with many others. I would like to reiterate that we are here to police for all communities in Hertfordshire, supporting victims and pursuing offenders irrespective of who they are.”
In their press release, Impactful Lives also pointed out the contradictory message that it sends. “The police wish to benefit from the engagement opportunities provided by Pride but are unwilling to be visibly associated with the identities and human rights concerns the event represents.
The charity has since ceased working as a Third-Party Reporting Centre for hate crime. Citing a lack of “necessary assurance and confidence in the current arrangements.”
Director of North Herts Pride, Niamh René, said: At North Herts Pride, we’re really concerned following Impactful Lives’ recent experience. It’s worrying to see a small request such as asking Hertfordshire Police to display the Progress Pride flag at community events escalate from something they’re happy to accommodate to refusing to display a Pride flag at all, even at Pride events. Although Hertfordshire Police are adamant that they will continue to support victims of LGBTQ+ hate crime, we want to highlight that by not visually supporting the LGBTQ+ community, individuals who are victims of crime may feel less likely to be able to turn to them for support.
The Government’s National LGBT survey showed that less than 1 in 10 LGBTQ+ individuals are likely to report hate crimes or incidents. And yet, according to the LGBTQ+ hate crime charity Galop, they received a 60% increase in LGBTQ+ hate crime victims coming to them in 2024.
She continued, “At a time when the community, especially trans people, are subject to an increased number of hate crimes, we would expect Hertfordshire Police to be welcoming conversations with LGBTQ+ charities to see how they can help further, rather than shutting down communications and withdrawing visual support. We would love Hertfordshire Police to reconsider their position on the matter and reopen communication with Impactful Lives as to how they can help LGBTQ+ people in Hertfordshire.
When asked for a comment, North Hertfordshire Council declined to comment.
