Cruising Grounds in Croydon are being targeted by robbers who are having sex with their victims before robbing them at knifepoint.

Gay men who are using the cruising area are being lulled into a false sense of security before they are threatened and then robbed of their belongings and sometimes their cars.

Police fear that the scale of the problem may be unknown as many of the victims are reluctant to come forward after the attacks and report them to the authorities because they are too embarrassed or frightened.

Croydon's (LGBT) lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender liaison officer PC Jeff Wade told the Croydon Guardian he believed there were more victims than the police were aware of.

"It's an ongoing thing. I hear of this happening all the time but people are very reluctant to report it. Because they have been intimate with the suspects, the victims have been at their most vulnerable. "They are embarrassed because and have not wanted to go public. Or they might have families and would not want to give evidence in a potential court case."

PC Wade continued, "We had one man come to us to say he'd been liasing with a chap on Shirley Hills when the guy in question jumped into the victim's car and said, give me a lift.  Reluctantly he did and the next thing he knew a knife was pulled out and the guy tried to steal his car."

Croydon police have urged the LGBT community to put more faith in the police and report these crimes when they have been victims of them. PC Wade took part in a recent enrichment day at Croydon College aimed at raising awareness of hate crime and to encourage the reporting of it.

Anyone who has been a victim of such a hate crime is urged to report it by contacting the community safety unit at Croydon on 020 8649 1265 or the LGBT officers who can also be contacted on 020 8649 1323.