03/04/2021
The National AIDS Trust has published a new report in which it commends the first two police forces in the UK, including Avon and Somerset Police here in Bristol, for taking measures to remove what are called “HIV markers” against people’s names on the Police Database records that they process. In a press release, the AIDS Trust notes that these markers were often implemented in the early years of the pandemic when relations between the HIV positive communities and the law enforcement agencies reached rock bottom. Kat Smithson, Director of Policy at National AIDS Trust, said:
“A person’s HIV status should be treated as sensitive and confidential medical information. Marking HIV as a warning on anyone’s record only increases stigma and breaches confidentiality. It implies there’s a risk of transmission when there isn’t Kat’s words were echoed by Chief Constable Carl Foulkes, National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Lead for Diversity, Equality and Inclusion. He said “ We do recognise there are some areas that we need to fix as a priority, in particular the recording of HIV on police databases. Forces across England and Wales have started to address this issue and further work is on-going nationally to coordinate this work.”
