West Yorkshire Police will deliver a public, in-person apology after officers disrupted a memorial service for a Black elder at New Testament Church of God in Leeds, triggering fear, chaos and allegations of racial bias.
Bishop Anthony Parry, who leads the church, confirmed the apology will take place this Saturday at 2 pm, following days of pressure from the church leadership, congregation, wider community and his own formal complaints to senior police figures.
Following “initial reluctance”, a senior officer is now expected to address the family, the church and local residents directly.
In a video statement posted on social media after further talks with the force, Bishop Parry said the police had “come to realise the necessity” of apologising “to the family that had been affected, to the church where it took place and to the wider community”.
He emphasised that the gathering will not be a Q&A or a meeting, but a moment for the police to acknowledge the harm they caused and begin the healing process.
“This is a platform where the police authorities will come to give an apology for the incident that took place at the church,” he said in the video.
“It will be a time to listen.”
The apology follows a deeply distressing incident on Thursday 13 November, when officers stormed the sanctuary mid-service while searching for a man on licence recall.
Bishop Parry was in the middle of leading the memorial when a wave of panic rippled through the church, where over 300 mourners had gathered to honour a beloved Black elder.
“All of a sudden, a whole bunch of folk left their seats and were at the door,” Bishop Parry told Black Current News.
“The officers tried to force their way in and my ushers blocked the door. The community also came and blocked the door. They came to each of the entrances.”
Bishop Parry says when he went outside and on the church grounds to make enquiries, he saw officers “using force” against congregants and one woman being “pushed to the ground”.
“I approached one of the police officers to ask for calm, but they wouldn’t even listen to me and just shoved me, saying ‘get out the way’.”
The individual being hunted by the police escaped. No arrest was made.
Alongside the bishop’s account to Black Current News and online video, he also lodged two formal complaints to the force in writing.
Those letters, seen by Black Current News, were sent to Temporary Chief Inspector Robin Hughes and Chief Constable John Robins, raising concerns about police conduct, community safety and racial discrimination.
Asked directly whether he believes the police’s actions were influenced by race, the bishop was clear.
“I do not believe they would ever attempt to do that on a white majority congregation. If it was a mosque or a synagogue, they would be there to protect. Why do they think it is okay to do it to Black people?”
West Yorkshire Police failed to answer Black Current News’ questions about the scope of their internal probe into the matter and whether race was a factor in this incident.
Bishop Parry also says the police later sent a message to church leaders claiming that an officer had been injured, which he viewed as an attempt to redirect focus away from what congregants experienced, prompting him to speak out.
In a press release, West Yorkshire Police apologised, confirmed the matter had been referred to its Professional Standards Department and said a senior officer had visited to “personally convey this apology”, followed by a written apology.
But Bishop Parry insisted that was not enough.
“Apologising to me in private in my office, that wasn’t going to cut it,” he said. “The disrespect was done in public, in person.”
The family of the deceased, already grieving, was left shaken.
The impact has spread beyond the congregation.
A community member who attended the memorial said they complained to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), believing that their human rights had been infringed when the service collapsed before they had the chance to give their tribute.
However, the IOPC told Black Current News that they had not received any complaint.
Accountability
Bishop Parry stressed repeatedly that he is not seeking the spotlight.
“I’m not an activist,” he said. “But I have a responsibility to speak out against injustice and I have a responsibility for my community as well. Where they do not have a voice, and I do, I must speak.”
While the church is willing to receive a public apology from the police, Bishop Parry wants complete transparency about how this was allowed to happen.
“We really want to know how this thing could have happened so that we can be confident that it wouldn’t happen again,” he said.
Black Current News will continue to follow this matter.
If you witnessed the incident or were affected, contact admin@blackcurrentnews.co.uk. All messages are treated confidentially.
