GAY police officers are being given help to overcome intolerance and prejudice at work in a pioneering new initiative.

North Yorkshire Police is one of the first forces in the country to establish a helpline for lesbian and gay officers and civilian staff.

The line will be manned by gay staff and will offer support to officers thinking about coming out at work, those suffering harassment and those who just want to talk to other officers. The helpline came out of an initiative aiming to ensure minority groups within the force are given equal treatment.

Force diversity development officer Kathy Anderson said: "We need support networks for everybody and mechanisms that everybody can feel comfortable using.

"Gay staff who aren't out will not necessarily feel comfortable talking to their line manager and it would be useful if they could have a confidential contact who has gone through those experiences."

The helpline is a mobile phone which is passed among five gay officers and civilian staff and is available 24 hours a day.

Ms Anderson said: "It is important that people can ring up a gay officer. This is an invisible minority group and it might be that people just want someone they can talk to.

"We're here to provide a service to everybody who lives in and passes through North Yorkshire and we should be employing the people who can best provide that service, whatever their sexual orientation.

"We're not trying to provide a better service to the gay and lesbian community, just the same service for everybody."

She said so far the helpline had not highlighted any serious problems of harassment. But allegations of verbal or physical abuse could trigger the force's combined complaints and disciplinary procedure.

Ms Anderson said: "If someone is suffering from inappropriate behaviour they just want it to stop, they don't want to be responsible for someone losing their job."

Paul Carswell, of the Lesbian and Gay Police Association, welcomed North Yorkshire's move. He said: "People might not feel it is safe to come out. One of the things that can help is if you can get in touch with other people in that position."