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Homophobic/Transphobic Crime
Homophobia and transphobia can be defined as prejudice or discrimination against those identifying as gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered. Such behaviour is attributed directly to social intolerance towards those who are, or are perceived, not to be hetrosexual. |
The police use the following definition when recording a homophobic incident:
"Any incident which is perceived to be homophobic by the victim or any other person".
This refers to any incident which appears to be related to an individual's actual or perceived sexuality.
Prejudice and homophobic attitudes are still prevalent in the United Kingdom. Homophobic and transphobic crimes are largely unreported to the police. Why You Should Report ItReporting homophobic crime means you help the police to build up patterns of crime and apprehend offenders. Any information you can give us will help us build up our knowledge.
What you know may provide us with the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle.
A name, address or a description of someone who commits a hate crime will enable us to target criminals and stop the abuse.
Left unreported people who carry out these crimes are likely to commit similar offences again and could be harming others. Your report may prevent it from happening to someone else.
We take homophobic/transphobic incidents seriously. If someone you know is a victim, or if you are a witness, then please report it.
No incident is trivial. Privacy & ConfidentialityWe understand that people experiencing homophobia may be reluctant to report a crime or incident because of concern over perceived police attitudes, the fear of retribution by offenders, or concern about their own sexuality becoming known.
All reports of homophobic/transphobic incidents will be treated in the strictest confidence. How to Report ItEmergencyIn an emergency, always dial 999. Non Emergencies
Victim SupportThis national organisation also has a branch in Derbsyhire. It provides confidential support and information to victims of crime and to witnesses attending local courts.
Its services are free, independent of the police and courts, and available to everyone, whether or not the crime has been reported and regardless of when it happened.
Telephone: Victim Supportline on 0845 30 30 900
E-mail: supportline@victimsupport.org.uk
If you have hearing difficulties, please call using the Victim Supportline TextDirect access number 18001 0845 30 30 900.
For further details, please visit the Victim Supportline web page. Stop Hate UK  We recognise that not everyone wants, or is able, to report Hate Crimes and Incidents directly to the police. Therefore in Derbyshire reports and initial support and advice can be accessed via the independent charity Stop Hate UK.
Stop Hate UK operates a 24hr free phone service for victims and witnesses. Stop Hate UK is totally independent of the police and will not pass on callers details without explicit consent. If a caller wishes however, Stop Hate UK will report the incident to the police on their behalf.
Stop Hate UK can be contacted on 0800 138 1625 or if you have hearing difficulties please use Text Relay on 18001 0800 138 1625. Useful OrganisationsMost of the following organisations operate across Derbyshire. There are some exceptions, but these are accompanied by an explanation. ARCThe Awareness Raising Co-operative (ARC) operates within Derby. It is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) consultation group supporting the gay scene.
Telephone: 07722 563 556 Derbyshire Sexual Health Promotion Service (Formerly CASH)The Derbyshire Sexual Health Promotion Service is an LGBT support group based in Chesterfield. It does use outreach workers in other parts of the country.
Telephone: 01246 559 431 Choices Youth GroupSupport group for young people making choices about their sexuality.
Telephone: 01332 206 027
Minicom: 01332 349 333 Derbyshire FriendLesbian, gay, bixexual and trans support service.
Telephone: 01332 207704
Minicom: 01332 349 333
E-mail: info@gayderbyshire.co.uk Reflections (formerly T Junction)Support for trans people.
Telephone: 07969 448 916 Gender Twist From Within (GTFW)Local education and training provider which also offers support for trans people.
Telephone: 07704 995 705
E-mail: info@gtfw.co.uk Can Anyone Tell I've Visited These Web Pages?If you are worried about someone knowing which web sites you have visited, you can take several steps to increase your safety when using the internet. The Victim Support site provides a practial guide to safe web site usage.
The only certain way to prevent anyone finding out which web pages you have been viewing is to use a computer they do not have access to; this could be at a local library, a friend's house, or an internet cafe.
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