A letter to the Daily Telegraph which was published on 27th November 1996.

One wonders where South Yorkshire police get their facts about the prevalence of homosexuality in the population (report, Nov. 21st).  If “three to five per cent” of its force are indeed homosexuals (how do they know?), they are already over represented, at least by national standards.

The only really authoritative study of the matter – Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1994) put the proportion of male homosexuals nationally at 1.3 per cent and females at 0.6 per cent from a survey of 19,000 individuals.

Clearly Sgt George Roper, who is leading the initiative to “ensure the South Yorkshire force reflects the community as a whole”, should take steps to reduce the proportion of homosexuals in his force.