Cumbria Constabulary is holding its first online meeting designed to appeal to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities next week to give people the opportunity to speak to police and gain valuable advice online.
On Thursday 27th September from 5:30pm to 7:30pm, officers will provide LGBT communities the opportunity to gain advice, find out about crime and hate-related issues locally and ask any questions.
Among a host of other partners, a representative from the Constabulary’s Strategic Independent Advisory Group (IAG) will be taking questions and Assistant Chief Constable Michelle Skeer will be on hand to give information on what support is available in Cumbria if people feel they have been harassed or attacked because of their sexuality or gender.
Assistant Chief Constable Michelle Skeer said “Everyone has the right to live their lives without the fear of violence and intimidation and it is up to the police to support communities and ensure that action is taken against people who commit crime.
“Hate crime in any form is unacceptable and we do all we can to tackle the issue in Cumbria. However, we’re aware that hate crime is often something that goes unreported and we don’t want victims to suffer in silence.
“We have established Third Party Reporting Centres across the county which help us to get a clearer picture of the true nature of hate crime. We are committed to uncovering crime where it happens and we hope that this web chat will provide local people with the chance to ask questions anonymously or seek support from us in a way that some victims may feel is comfortable or convenient for them.
“We need victims to continue reporting crimes to us so that we can catch offenders and ensure people don’t become targeted as victims again.
“Some of the police officers who will be taking part in the web chat next week will also be attending Cumbria Pride, which takes place the following Saturday 29th September at the Swallow Hilltop Hotel, Carlisle.
“We hope that lots of people use this opportunity to speak to us whether that be to gain advice, seek support or just be virtually ‘introduced’ to their local policing officers.”
No comments:
Post a Comment