Local police forces have ranked as some of the UK’s most gay-friendly employers, according to a new equality index by the homosexual campaign group Stonewall.

The top 20 gay-friendly employers also include five councils, three Government agencies and two Whitehall departments.

The campaign group’s equality index reveals that five police forces are ranked among the top 20 gay-friendly employers with a further six forces placed in the top 50.

Last year police in London were warned not to “stray into political territory” after the Metropolitan Police Commissioner objected to a pro-gay rainbow flag flying from one of the city’s police stations.

Hampshire Constabulary is ranked as the most gay-friendly police force in the country coming in second place overall.

Around the country there have been a number of heavy-handed police investigations against Christians, sparked by complaints to the police of ‘homophobia’.

Last year Pauline Howe, a 67-year-old Christian grandmother, wrote to her local council objecting to abuse she suffered while handing out Christian literature at a homosexual carnival.

She was later visited by police officers who said that her letter may be treated as a “hate incident”.

In 2008, moderate Christian preacher Andy Robertson was told by a police officer that it is a crime to publicly express the religious belief that homosexual conduct is sinful, even though Mr Robertson had not mentioned the subject in his preaching.

The officer’s comment was caught on audio tape because Mr Robertson was recording his preaching in case someone made a malicious allegation against him.

In 2007 a five-strong team of police officers investigated complaints that a church’s invitation leaflet to an Easter service was ‘offensive’.

Although the leaflet said nothing about homosexuality, the complainant said it was offensive for evangelical Christians to be advertising themselves in an area where there is a “sizeable gay community”.

The full 2010 Stonewall Top 100 Employers list was revealed at an awards ceremony last night.

IBM is ranked as the most gay-friendly employer.