Hampshire Constabulary

  
Hampshire Constabulary is proud to be a member of the Stonewall Diversity Champions.

 What is hate crime? 

“Where the perpetrator’s prejudice against any identifiable group of people is a factor in determining who is victimised.”

If you have been abused, harassed, assaulted or anything else happens to you because of your sexual orientation or gender, or perceived sexual orientation or gender, this is a hate crime.

So what is a homophobic or transphobic incident?

"A homophobic or transphobic incident is any incident which is perceived to be homophobic or transphobic by the victim or any other person."

What are the police doing about it?

Hampshire Constabulary is committed to reducing the fear of crime and making public places safer and incidents of a homophobic or transphobic nature are unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

We aim to record, investigate and detect all homophobic and transphobic incidents, so if you have been a target of hate crime, because you are, or have been perceived to be, lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender we’d like you to report it.

Why should I report such incidents? 

We are encouraging people to report hate crime incidents to the police but know that lots of homophobic or transphobic incidents are not reported to us. Even if they are, the person reporting them may not tell us that it is a homophobic or transphobic incident because they do not want the police to know that they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.

• By reporting hate crime you provide valuable information to the police which helps build a clearer picture of what is going on in our area; 
• It provides better opportunities for patrolling strategies to catch offenders and to prevent offences taking place in the future; 
• Left unreported, the attackers are free to repeat similar offences; and
• Some offenders think they can get away with harassment and other offences because they think they won’t be reported.

You can report non-emergency incidents to Hampshire Constabulary on 101. In the case of an emergency, or where an incident is in progress, always dial 999.

Partner agencies

We understand that for some people going to the police can be difficult. For a variety of reasons victims do not always feel comfortable or confident about approaching the police directly either visiting a police station or have a police officer visit them to report an incident of crime.

In acknowledgement of this there are a number of other ways to report homophobic incidents.  Below are the Hampshire Gay Health Alliance partner agencies which can take your report without you having to go to a police station:

Inscape
02392 298950
02392 298951

Covers Portsmouth, Fareham and Gosport

Gay Community Health Service (GCHS)
02380 515238 

Covers Southampton

Healthy Gay Hampshire
Harness House
Basingstoke
RG24 9NB

0300 123 9117
07785223722

Covers the rest of Hampshire

 

Health Outreach Worker (IoW)
46 Sea Street
Newport
Isle of Wight
PO30 5BL

01983 814287
jim.edwards@iow.nhs.uk

 

BreakOut Youth Project

Southampton City Council
City Base
French Street
Southampton
SO14 2AT

02380 223344
07860 444 673

So what will the police do? 

Police officers and staff will deal promptly and effectively with all incidents.

People reporting hate crimes can expect all members of the Hampshire Constabulary to exhibit the highest standards of professionalism.

All crimes that are reported to us will be treated sensitively and in strict confidence.

We will take all necessary steps to protect the identity of anyone reporting crime, or providing information, and if a person still wishes to remain anonymous, we will respect their request.

Where an incident is capable of further investigation we aim to keep the person reporting the incident updated on how the case is progressing and the result of that enquiry.

For more information e-mail community.safety@hampshire.pnn.police.uk  

What else does Hampshire Constabulary have in relation to LGBT issues?

Lesbian and Gay Liaison Officers

LAGLOs as they are known, are a mix of police officers and police staff members who have special understanding and training on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.

Their role includes enhancing the relationship between the police and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in an effort to boost people’s trust and confidence in coming forward to report hate crime incidents. They also work to develop ways in which the constabulary can improve its service delivery.

Set up in 1996, the role has already proved important in helping police in many inquiries, including two murder inquiries where LAGLOs were able to give informed advice on how to approach potential witnesses and informants.

We have over 140 LAGLOs, located at all the main police stations in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

LAGLOs are available to provide advice to their colleagues about crime investigations and to people who identify as LGBT. 

LAGLOs visit gay friendly venues frequently to help foster good relations with the community and listen to local concerns.

We will treat any information you give sensitively and in confidence. For non-urgent advice, ask for the LAGLO in your specific area and a message can be left for them to contact you.

To contact your local LAGLO, for non-urgent advice, either ring 101 and ask to leave a message for them to contact you, or email postmaster@hampshire.pnn.police.uk where your message will be emailed on to the LAGLO, who will deal with your enquiry when they are next on duty.

One of our LAGLOs explains her role

Chief Inspector Kelly Whiting is one of our LAGLOs, based in Eastleigh.

"It’s estimated that between 10 to 15 per cent of the population identify themselves as gay so if we don’t meet the needs of the gay community then we’re failing to provide a policing service to a large section of the population," said Kelly.

During her training sessions with LAGLOs, Kelly covers a wide variety of topics, from male rape, same sex domestic violence, issues around transgenderism, advice to parents of a gay child and the preparation for annual gay community festivals such as PRIDE.

"Our job is not to deal with every homophobic incident within each police area." Kelly explained. "But we can help those officers dealing with these incidents who feel they need some advice.

”"We need to ensure that all officers feel comfortable dealing with homophobic and transphobic issues because it’s only in this way that people will feel happier about approaching the police with their problems and to report criminal offences which otherwise do not get investigated."

Silence Is Not Golden (SING) 

Silence is not golden (SING) not only seeks to raise awareness about issues of homophobia but also make it easier for those people affected to report a hate crime by explaining what might be classed as a homophobic incident; why you should report it; and the different ways in which you can do so.

Everyone has the right to live without fear. If you have witnessed or been the victim of homophobia, tell someone, break the silence. This is not only for the benefit of LGBT people, but for our whole society.

Visit the website at www.silenceisnotgolden.org .

Hampshire Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Group (HLGBTRG)

The Hampshire Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Group was established to:

• Support Hampshire Constabulary personnel who are in conflict with other staff with regards to their sexual orientation; 
• Act as a resource for supervisors who are experiencing issues regarding sexual orientation with their staff; 
• Liaise with other staff associations and departments about equal rights for LGB personnel;   
• Provide social functions for staff, who as a result of their sexual orientation may feel isolated, and;
• Support the constabulary's Lesbian and Gay Liaison Officers in their role of supporting others.

The HLGBTRG is made up of a core group of ten ‘out’ gay and lesbian staff. Through its associate members scheme, the group are also in a position to give advice on transgender issues. For further information contact 02380 599941.