Exclusive:Leeds church community 'appalled' after police 'destroy' memorial service to elderly member to arrest attendee

Police reportedly interrupted the service last Thursday (November 13) at the New Testament Church of God on Easterly Road in Harehills, which was being attended by over 300 parishioners, to arrest an attendee.

A melee then ensued outside and members of the congregation, as well as the Bishop, Tony Parry, were reportedly pushed over.

The community has been left “distressed” by the outbreak and demanded a public apology from West Yorkshire Police. It has also questioned whether the decision to disrupt the ceremony of mostly Afro-Caribbean attendees was racially-motivated.

Addressing the force, Bishop Tony Parry said: “You have destroyed the trust that it took so many years to build up.”

West Yorkshire Police have today (Monday) confirmed that they attended to arrest a man wanted on recall to prison and added that they “deeply regret” the decision to interrupt the service. A letter of apology has been provided to the Bishop.

Mr Parry, who was leading the service, explained that the event was held to pay tribute to a “faithful elder” in the community who had recently died.

He said: “The atmosphere was beautiful. It was a wonderful service of praise and worship that was destroyed in one instant.

“In the midst of our prayers and our tributes the police had the audacity to rush in the sanctuary and completely disrupt our service under the guise that they were looking for someone and trying to arrest someone.

“This could have easily been done at the end but they chose to come in when over 300 people were praising God and thanking God for the life of this beloved sister.

“My main concern is that there were children and elderly people present and there was nothing at all in terms of thinking how that might affect them.

“They had no regard and no respect for what was taking place and disrupted everything.”

He continued: “During this ruckus I went outside to see police chasing individuals around the car park with no regard for the people that were there. I actually saw them push over a woman and when I approached the police officer dressed in my clerical colour and trying to appease them and ask for calm, instead of listening to me I was pushed away myself.

“One of the things that has really hurt me is the impact on the family because that is now their memory of the service. It has been tainted.

“This sort of behaviour cannot be tolerated.”

Mr Parry said that he “had to ask myself the question” as to whether the all-white group of officers would have “operated in such a way if the congregation was mainly white”.

He said: “I can’t see if see if it was a ceremony where those in attendance were European whether they would shown such disregard for the sanctity of the service and disrespect to the vulnerability of the people present.

“For our community they feel it’s okay to go in and disrupt a sacred service like that. I cannot be silent.

“I want to say to West Yorkshire Police that as a community we will not be satisfied until you apologise in person to all those who were present and to the African and Caribbean community in Leeds for the way you have treated us.”

He urged those in the community who also felt “aggrieved” to submit complaints to West Yorkshire Police, saying: “We don’t want to whitewash. We want justice.”

Mr Parry received a visit from the chief inspector but that he still wanted a public apology from the force, saying: “It has left a lot of hurt.

“I explained that because of the disrespect done so publicly any apology had to be done openly as well if they are serious about building bridges.”

A spokesperson for the force has said that they attended the church “after receiving information about a man wanted on recall to prison”.

A spokesperson said: “The individual was seen inside the building and officers attempted to make an arrest. This resulted in the disruption of a memorial service for a longstanding member of the congregation.”

Leeds District Commander Chief Superintendent Steve Dodds said: “West Yorkshire Police deeply regret the impact this has had on the family, the congregation and the wider community. Places of worship hold a special and significant role in our communities and any police intervention in such settings must be approached with the utmost care and sensitivity. On this occasion, we failed to meet that standard, and for the distress caused, I offer my sincere and unreserved apology.”

The spokesperson added: “The following day, a senior officer visited the Bishop at the church to personally convey this apology and subsequently provided a written apology encouraging the Bishop to share it with the congregation. We are continuing to speak with the Bishop to arrange further engagement with the congregation and to strengthen our approach to policing in partnership with the community.

“This matter has been referred to our Professional Standards Department. A full and thorough review is underway to identify lessons learned and any necessary actions to prevent a reoccurrence.”