International Day Against Homophobia
Cumbria police have pledged their support to this year’s International Day Against Homophobia, which is taking place on Sunday 17 May 2009.
In line with the Constabulary’s policing pledge, officers are promising the public that they will investigate reports of hate incidents as a matter of priority, to ensure that neighbourhoods remain safe from harm.
From April 2008 to March 2009, Cumbria Constabulary recorded 43 reports of homophobic hate crime - a 33 per cent decrease compared to the previous year, when 64 crimes were recorded.
Police hope the reduction means their message is hitting home that homophobia will not be tolerated in Cumbria and have appealed to victims to continue coming forward to report incidents of hate crime.
Detective Superintendent Andy Slattery, head of the force’s Public Protection Unit, said: “We simply will not tolerate hate incidents in Cumbria and do everything we possibly can to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice. Each and every incident reported to us is investigated thoroughly and we have put measures in place to ensure victims receive all the support they need.
“We don’t want victims to suffer in silence and have opened a series of Third Party Reporting Centres across the county in to encourage victims who don’t want to speak directly to police officers to come forward and report crimes. Trained staff in these centres can help victims to record crimes correctly, which then get sent to us to investigate.
“Third Party Reporting centres are helping us gain a clearer picture of the true nature of hate crime in Cumbria and we need victims to continue reporting crimes to us so that we can catch offenders and ensure people don’t become repeat victims.
“We have also assigned dedicated police officers in North, South and West Cumbria who are specially trained to support victims, study trends and identify hot spot areas for this type of crime. I’d urge anyone who is a victim, or who would like help or advice, to contact them directly. Details of the officers and your nearest centres can be found on the Constabulary’s website.”
The Constabulary’s dedicated diversity officers can be reached on the following numbers:
North Cumbria – PC Julie Dodd on 01228 558256
West Cumbria – DC Eric Field on 01900 604531
South Cumbria – PC Chris Isherwood on 01229 848910
Hate crime forms can be downloaded from the Cumbria Constabulary website at www.cumbria.police.uk or report hate crime directly through the True Vision website at www.report-it.org.uk
Cumbria police have pledged their support to this year’s International Day Against Homophobia, which is taking place on Sunday 17 May 2009.
In line with the Constabulary’s policing pledge, officers are promising the public that they will investigate reports of hate incidents as a matter of priority, to ensure that neighbourhoods remain safe from harm.
From April 2008 to March 2009, Cumbria Constabulary recorded 43 reports of homophobic hate crime - a 33 per cent decrease compared to the previous year, when 64 crimes were recorded.
Police hope the reduction means their message is hitting home that homophobia will not be tolerated in Cumbria and have appealed to victims to continue coming forward to report incidents of hate crime.
Detective Superintendent Andy Slattery, head of the force’s Public Protection Unit, said: “We simply will not tolerate hate incidents in Cumbria and do everything we possibly can to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice. Each and every incident reported to us is investigated thoroughly and we have put measures in place to ensure victims receive all the support they need.
“We don’t want victims to suffer in silence and have opened a series of Third Party Reporting Centres across the county in to encourage victims who don’t want to speak directly to police officers to come forward and report crimes. Trained staff in these centres can help victims to record crimes correctly, which then get sent to us to investigate.
“Third Party Reporting centres are helping us gain a clearer picture of the true nature of hate crime in Cumbria and we need victims to continue reporting crimes to us so that we can catch offenders and ensure people don’t become repeat victims.
“We have also assigned dedicated police officers in North, South and West Cumbria who are specially trained to support victims, study trends and identify hot spot areas for this type of crime. I’d urge anyone who is a victim, or who would like help or advice, to contact them directly. Details of the officers and your nearest centres can be found on the Constabulary’s website.”
The Constabulary’s dedicated diversity officers can be reached on the following numbers:
North Cumbria – PC Julie Dodd on 01228 558256
West Cumbria – DC Eric Field on 01900 604531
South Cumbria – PC Chris Isherwood on 01229 848910
Hate crime forms can be downloaded from the Cumbria Constabulary website at www.cumbria.police.uk or report hate crime directly through the True Vision website at www.report-it.org.uk
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