A new report shows shocking statistics about homophobia and transphobia in the capital. Released by Galop, London’s lesbian, gay bisexual and trans (LGBT) anti-violence charity, the report shows that although crime rates may be dropping, LGBT people are still experiencing high levels of abuse.
It also shows low levels of confidence in the police and poor satisfaction among those who report hate crime.
The report shows excellent results from police investigations of homophobia but very poor results from transphobia (anti-transgender prejudice) investigations.
It also ranks areas of London according to how well the police and courts perform on hate crime.
To read the report, CLICK HERE:
Nick Antjoule, the reports author, said:
“This highlights the violence and abuse against Londoners which remains unchallenged. The police do a great job in difficult circumstances but I think this should be a wake up call for us all.
“Now we have marriage equality, it’s easy to think equality has been achieved. But the harder battles against homophobia, transphobia and biphobia are still to be won.
“Making sense of crime figures can be really tricky but we hope this will empower people to hold their local police and council to account.”
Galop provides support, advice and advocacy to LGBT people who experience hate crime, domestic abuse, sexual violence or who have questions about the criminal justice system. It has been operating for over 30 years.
LGBT people who have concerns about safety or abuse should call their confidential helpline on 0207 704 2040.
SOME KEY FINDINGS FROM THE REPORT:
• 98 homophobic and transphobic crimes get recorded each week by the UK police.
• A quarter of all reported homophobic crime happens in London
• A fifth of all reported transphobic crime happens in London
• Compared with figures on other types of hate crime, such as racism, the proportion of homophobic hate crime is on the rise. 9% of UK reported hate rime was homophobic. That rose to 10% in 2010 and 11% in 2011. (Figures for 2012 are not available yet).
• Over half of homophobic and transphobic crime is not reported to the police, meaning many people suffer in silence. 1 in 8 lesbian, gay or bisexual people are the target of hate crime each year. 3 in 4 transgender people are the target of hate crime each year.
• It also states that LGBT people are more likely to experience crime generally.
1 in 3 lesbian, gay and bisexual people experience a crime each year compared with only 1 in 4 heterosexual people. 1 in 14 lesbian, gay and bisexual people experience violence each year compared with 1 in 33 heterosexual people.
• 1 in 7 reported homophobic or transphobic crimes reach court, of which 3 in 4 result in someone being found guilty. However, homophobia and transphobia trials heard in London courts are less likely to be successful than other parts of the UK. Homophobia and transphobia trials are also less likely to be successful in court than other types of crime.
• Top boroughs for police and court performance on homophobic and transphobic hate crime are Westminster, Islington and Camden. Meanwhile Barking & Daggenham, Kingston and Merton show the worst performance record.
To call the Galop Helpline: 020 7704 2040
To find out more information about Galop, CLICK HERE