Homophobic crime and policing – MPA focus
on LGBT issues

16/05
09 March 2005

Homophobic crimes in London continue to be under reported because a large section of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community do not have sufficient trust in the police service’s willingness and ability to solve the crimes.

This assertion will be tested at a themed meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority’s Equal Opportunities & Diversity Board (EODB) on Thursday 10 March.

Before the formal part of the meeting representatives from LGBT groups across London will participate in an open discussion to provide feedback on current policies and offer advice on their future direction.

Kirsten Hearn, chair of the EODB, said:

“The MPA has a duty to respond to the needs of the LGBT community, both in terms of service delivery and as an employer. We have only to crunch the numbers to realise the importance of getting our policies right – it is estimated that 38% of LGBT people in London will suffer a homophobic incident, which translates into 760,000 incidents!

“Recent well-publicised hate crimes against LGBT people are just the tip of the iceberg, hiding the unpalatable reality that verbal and physical abuse and bullying for sexual orientation still exist in our ‘tolerant’ society. There is a lethargy of silence which breeds ignorance and, as a leading public authority, we are working actively to break this stalemate.

“The Metropolitan Police Service has improved its relations with the LGBT community immeasurably in recent years. It is actively addressing the under reporting of homophobic incidents and crime, reaching out to the community with the assistance of its LGBT independent advisory group and other stakeholders, but we have to do more to advertise our commitment and instil a sense of trust.”

The meeting will also focus on the MPS as an employer. The service has been addressing long-standing discrepancies in the way it treats its LGBT employees. The MPA firmly believes that an organisation’s employees are its most valuable resource and must be treated with respect and fairness, including equality of rights and opportunity, irrespective of their sexuality.

Kirsten continued:

“It is often the case that leading by example is the most effective way of instigating reform. In line with this we will discuss the merits of the MPA becoming a member of Stonewall’s Diversity Champion Scheme, Britain’s best practice forum for sexual orientation through which employers work with Stonewall to promote diversity in the workplace.”

Notes to editors

1. The MPA’s Equal Opportunities & Diversity Board (EODB) holds regular themed meetings to focus on specific areas of diversity with the participation of invited interest groups.

2. The EODB will discuss the following specific issues: LGBT recruitment and retention within the MPS; training of police officers on LGBT issues in relation to staff and service delivery; homophobic crime and policing; the role and function of LGBT liaison officers; the LGBT Advisory Group to the MPS; and same sex domestic violence.

3. Groups that have confirmed their attendance at the meeting include Stonewall, the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, Camden and Croydon LGBT Forums, MOSAIC LGBT Youth Project, Naz Project, London Age Concern England, Schools Out!, Central London Action on Sexual Health, the MPS LGBT Advisory Group and the GLA.

Send an e-mail linking to this page

Feedback