Derbyshire Friend is now running monthly Hate Crime Reporting Surgery at our centre on Friary Street, Derby. To view details of this surgery, which is run in conjunction with Derbyshire Constabulary, please click here.

Hate Crime against people who are lesbian, gay bi-sexual and transgender  

Being Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender is not wrong …Hate Crime is!

“1 in 8 lesbians and gay men and 1 in 20 bisexual people have experienced a hate crime or incident in the last year”

(Homophobic Hate Crime Survey, 2008)

“Trans people may be 3 times more likely to experience a hate incident or crime than lesbians and gay men”

(Transphobic hate crime in the EU, 2009)

What is Hate Crime?

Hate crime is when someone is harassed, victimised, intimidated or abused because of who they are or what they believe in – including race, religion, faith, disability, gender or sexuality.  This includes crimes against yourself or your property.

Hate Crimes can include:

• Being called names/ made fun of/ jokes
• Being pushed, hassled or threatened
• Being beaten up, spat at or kicked
• Having your property damaged or stolen
• Threatening behaviour
• Non-verbal abuse such as mimicry, offensive gestures or body language
• Bullying at school, college or work
• Arson
• Disputes with neighbours

Homophobia and Transphobia

Homophobia is any abuse directed at you because you are or people think you are Lesbian, Gay or bisexual.

Transphobia is any abuse directed at you because you are or people think you are transgender, transvestite or transsexual.

Incidents of Homophobic and Transphobic Hate Crime

Stonewall commissioned a survey of hate crime in 2008 (Homophobic hate crime – The Gay British Crime Survey 2008)

Key Findings (LGB only)

“1 in 5 lesbians and gay people in Britain had been a victim of one or more homophobic hate crimes or incidents in the previous 3 years. 3 in 4 did not report them to the police.  These incidents ranged from regular insults in the streets to serious physical or sexual assaults”.

“7 in 10 people did not report hate crimes or incidents to anyone”

“8% of all black and minority ethnic lesbian and gay people have experienced a physical assault as a homophobic hate incident, compared to 4% of all lesbian and gay people”

“50% of lesbians experiencing hate crimes and incidents say they occurred when they were with their partner. 6% said they occurred when they were with a child”.

62 to 73 % of Trans people have experienced harassment or violence because they were identified as Trans. In a Scottish research project only 15.5 % of people reported these crimes to the police for reasons such as fear of being inappropriately searched, negative consequences of disclosure of gender identity.

Why Should I report a Hate Crime?

“Insults and minor attacks are a part of our day-to-day lives and so often we do not realise we should report them or seek help. From an early age, we are bullied in the playground, attacked for who we are or beaten for who we date”

In 2008 Stonewall reported that

“⅓ of victims did not report incidents to the police because they did not think the police would or could do anything about it.”  “1 in 5 of those who do not report incidents does not think that what they have experienced is an offence.”

Derbyshire Friend is working with Police in Derby and Derbyshire to change this perception and to increase their knowledge of issues which stop LGB and T people reporting hate crimes. We are offering awareness raising training and are working closely with their Gay Police Association Co-Ordinator and their Confidence and Equality Unit. We are running our own Hate Crime Reporting Surgery at Derbyshire Friend twice a month (see details below or look at our website gayderbyshire.org.uk).

We can help improve our experiences in society if we help the police and Crown Prosecution Service by providing the information for them to act on and ultimately help us feel safe in all neighbourhoods, work places, schools and other communities.

Reporting a homophobic or Transphobic crime will help the police and ultimately LGB and T communities because patterns of crime can be identified.  The name, addresses or description of someone will enable the police to speak to offenders and warn them of the consequences of their actions on themselves.  Many people who are perpetrators of hate crime do not realise that they can be charged with the offence.  Your report may prevent it happening to you again and from happening to someone else.

The Police are interested in preventing homophobic and transphobic hate crimes and incidents wherever they occur (including cruising sites). They will investigate the crime, not your sexuality, nor the reason for being where you where

What happens If I decide to report a hate Crime

1.      If you want support from the Police, from an LGB and T organisation like Derbyshire Friend or from Victim Support then just ask and a referral will be made (or just pop into Derbyshire Friend).

2.      It will help the police and other partner support agencies to build up patterns of behaviour, highlight areas of concern and provide a ‘true vision’ of hate crime within Derby and Derbyshire.

3.      If you do not want to give your details then the report can be used for monitoring purposes only.  If you do give your personal details then the incident can be investigated fully.

Who can Report a Hate Crime and How do I do It?

If the incident has happened to you or you have witnessed it happening to someone else you can report it.  The police will arrange to meet you at a place of your choice.  This could be at Derbyshire Friend.  On the first Tuesday and Thursday of every month (6.30 – 7.30) there will be a police officer at Derbyshire Friend to enable you to report hate crimes in person.  There will also be a member of staff from Derbyshire Friend there to offer other support or to point you in the right direction to specialised support.

• If you do not want to speak to anyone in person then use a self reporting form. Find out more on the True Vision website at http://www.report-it.org.uk/home
• If you want to report a hate crime against someone who is trans you can also contact www.tcrime.net
• In an emergency, always dial 999 Non emergency, call the police central number 0345 123 3333
• You can also contact the police anonymously via the Crime Stoppers scheme on 0800 555 111
• Stop Hate UK is a 24 hour a day free telephone service for victims and witnesses.  It is totally independent of the police and will not pass on callers details without explicit consent.  If a caller wishes however, Stop Hate UK will report the incident to the police on their behalf. Tel 0800 138 1625. Email talk@stophateuk.org. Web www.stophateuk.org. Text Relay 18001 0800 138 1625
• For confidential support and information to victims of crime and to witnesses attending local courts telephone 0845 30 30 900 or email mailto:supportline@victimsupport.org.uk, for anyone with hearing difficulties you can call using the Victim Support line Text Direct access number 18001 0845 30 30 900.
• For further information on the work of the police against hate crime please refer to their website www.derbyshire.police.uk. Look for hate crime on the community safety page.

Confidentiality

The police must treat all reports of homophobic and transphobic incidents in strict confidence.  Derbyshire Friend will work with them to support their learning around the needs and wants of LGB and T communities.

Keep Safe

Advice on keeping yourself safe can be found at www.report-it.org.uk. This includes personal safety, if you are a victim or witness and internet safety tips.

For further information on the Hate Crime Reporting Surgery that takes place at Derbyshire Friend on the first Tuesday and Thursday of every month ( 6.30 to 7.30) please ring 01332 207704. It is a drop in session so no appointment is necessary. Derbyshire friend address is 2-3 Friary Street, Derby, DE1 1JF.

Your Rights As A Victim Of Crime

If you’ve been a victim of crime, you have certain legal rights. For example, you should be kept up to date on the progress of your case and get clear information about whether you qualify for compensation. Find out what your rights are:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/CrimeJusticeAndTheLaw/VictimsOfCrime/DG_184573