Homophobic hate crime needs to be addressed

MOYLE and Ballymoney police need to raise awareness of the impact of homophobic hate crime on the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual (LGB) community, according to officials.

At a recent meeting of Moyle District Policing Partnership meeting, members heard a presentation on the perceptions of experiences of LGB people towards homophobic hate crime and policing in Northern Ireland.

John O'Doherty, Director of the Rainbow Project, and Gillian Condell, Causeway LGB Forum, spoke about the impact of homophobic hate crime on the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual (LGB) Community.

Referring to research undertaken by the Rainbow Project, a publication titled 'Through Our Eyes', John O'Doherty said: "Hate crime has a devastating effect on victims, those who fear being a victim and on society in general. The PSNI have made substantial progress in gaining the co-operation of the LGB community and improving perceptions of the PSNI.

"However, there are still high levels of homophobic hate crime throughout Northern Ireland and low levels of reporting. 'Through Our Eyes' is a snapshot of LGB people's experiences of crime and policing over the last three years. We believe that through this report and the implementation of these recommendations, we can move to address this issue effectively and speak with one voice against those who want to damage our society".

In response the Chairman, Cllr Robert McIlroy, said: "I am very pleased that John and Gillian were available to come and talk to the DPP Membership and PSNI. Whilst listening to their experiences and perceptions of homophobic hate crime, what struck me was the importance of raising awareness, within the community, of hate crime and the need to promote the message that people should feel encouraged to report such incidents to the PSNI.

The Chairman went on to say: "The report by the Rainbow Project makes some very important recommendations, which I wholeheartedly endorse; chiefly, amongst these recommendations, the report suggests that people should be encouraged to report hate crime; there should be expertise within the PSNI to recognise hate crime and deal with it appropriately; and that partnerships should be formed with the necessary stakeholders to help tackle hate crime in our districts".

Chief Inspector John Magill, Area Commander for Moyle and Ballymoney continued: "As is the case with any crime type, we are very committed to dealing with hate crime. The police are working hard to tackle hate crime throughout Northern Ireland but our success will mostly depend on you. We need you to recognise when a hate crime occurs and report it to us immediately.

"Hate crime is defined as any incident perceived to have been committed against any person or property on the grounds of a particular person's ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, political opinion or disability."

On a final note the DPP Chairman and Chief Inspector Magill both said that they were grateful for the input from John and Gillian and looked forward to taking this discussion and the issue of hate crime further, once the local 'Diversity Forum' has been formally established in Moyle some time later in the year.

Related topics: