The Metropolitan
Police Service (MPS) define a homophobic incident as:
"any
incident, which is perceived to be homophobic
by the victim or any other person (that is
directed to impact upon those known or
perceived to be lesbians, gay men, bisexual or
transgender people)"
Homophobic crime takes many forms, including verbal
abuse, property damage, threats and actual
assaults. Research has shown that less than 1
in 5 homophobic crimes are reported to the
police.
There remains a reluctance for victims of homophobic crime
to report it, the reasons for not doing so are wide and
varied, but it is worth noting that 3 out of 4 victims who
had reported crimes to the police would report a homophobic
incident again.
Homophobic crime can be reported though the usual crime
reporting channels. However, victims may prefer to get in touch
directly with their local Community Safety Unit.
Community
Safety Units are staffed by specially trained
police officers
who can offer support designed to remove barriers that
sometimes make it difficult for victims to report this
type of crime.
You can find further information about
Community Safety Units as well as contact details for
your local unit by following this
link
The URHC project is a joint initiative between the
Metropolitan Police Service and the Royal Holloway
University of London, which is funded by the Home Office Targeted
Policing Initiative, they have produced a fact sheet
detailing the breakdown of reported homophobic crime, which you can view by clicking
here
