Hampshire Constabulary’s team of Lesbian and Gay Liaison Officers (LAGLOs) will once again be supporting events throughout LGBT History Month 2013 in Hampshire.
LAGLOs are police officers and police staff who have additional training and understanding of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities.
They work year-round with local community groups, schools, colleges and venues in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and are on-hand to support LGB&T victims and witnesses.
LGBT History Month is held in February each year and this year’s theme is dedicated to maths, science and engineering.
PC Joe Finch is a LAGLO and based with the Newport Safer Neighbourhoods Team.
Joe said:
“I’ll be visiting a local college in February to talk with students about homophobic and transphobic bullying. We’ll be looking at the example of Alan Turing, the mathematician who worked during the Second World War as a code breaker and is credited as being the father of computer science but who was so inhumanely persecuted for being gay. The sessions we run in schools always get a good response from the students and help them understand the effects of bullying and encourage them to come forward if they’re being bullied.”
Force Enquiry Centre Officer and LAGLO Joc Kingsford runs an LGB&T reading group in Portsmouth which will be meeting throughout February.
Joe said:
“The group has been running for just over a year and has gone from strength to strength. We now have 16 members. It’s an opportunity to engage with the community in a more natural environment and where people often feel more comfortable reporting homophobic and transphobic incidents to me.”
LAGLO activities during February include:
Friday 8 – PCSO Nick Greenwood from Fleet is talking to students at a college in Alton
Monday 11 – Inspector Julie Fry is attending a Lunchtime Learning Discussion at Hampshire County Council in Winchester
Monday 11 – PCSO Marie Harding is attending a youth group project in Fareham to support an LGBT History Month film project
Tuesday 12 – LAGLO Joc Kingsford is running an LGB&T reading group in Portsmouth with a local author as a guest speaker
Tuesday 12 – Inspector Julie Fry has been invited to talk as a guest speaker at an event in Portsmouth on the subject of ‘Inspirational Gay Women’
Wednesday 20 – LAGLOs have jointly organised a conference on LGB&T issues in the workplace to share knowledge and experiences with managers and supervisors
Thursday 21 – LAGLO Joc Kingsford and her reading group are attending a ‘Meet The Author’ event in Gosport in support of LGBT History Month
You can talk to Hampshire Constabulary’s LAGLOs on Twitter @HantsPoliceLGBT
If you or someone you know has been the victim of a crime because of sexual orientation or gender identity, Telephone 101 or 999 in an emergency.
Any police officer or member of staff can help and if you want to speak to someone with extra understanding, you can always ask for a LAGLO.
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