Homophobia / 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.

Prejudice and homophobic attitudes are still prevalent in the United Kingdom and homophobic crime is largely unreported to the police.

Combating homophobic hate crime is one of our policing priorities.

Why you should report it
You do not have to be the victim to report it
Privacy and confidentiality
How to report homophobic and transphobic crime
Other reporting centres
Will I have to attend court?
The Crown Prosecution Service
Can anyone tell that I have visited these pages?
Links to other sites

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Why you should report it

Homophobic incidents can be devastating for the victim. We are committed to dealing with homophobic incidents in a professional and sensitive way.

By reporting a homophobic crime you are helping us to build up patterns of crime and apprehend offenders.

Any information you give us will help us build up our knowledge. Names, addresses or descriptions of people who commit hate crime helps us to target criminals and stop the abuse.

If you do not report a crime or incident, offenders may commit similar offences again. Your report may stop someone else becoming a victim.

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You do not have to be the victim to report an incident

If someone you know is a victim, or if you witness a homophobic incident please report it. All incidents will be treated seriously and all crimes will be recorded.

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Privacy and confidentiality

We 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. Your Hate Crime Officer can explain this to you.

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How to report a Homophobic / Transphobic Crime

You can tell us about a hate crime by:

• Calling 999 in an emergency
• Calling 0845 33 00 222 or visiting one of our police stations to tell us about an incident that has happened
• Contacting your local Hate Crime Officer
• Contacting other reporting centres in Hertfordshire
  

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Other Reporting Centres

We are working with other agencies to encourage people to report hate crimes.

You may not want to talk to the police and would feel more comfortable talking to someone else. We have set up other reporting centres across Hertfordshire so that you can do this.

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Will I have to attend court?

Your Hate Crime Officer will look for a solution to your problem and although getting justice through the courts is important, their actions are always led by the circumstances of each case and the wishes of the people they deal with.

Victim Support can also help you cope with the effects of crime. They provide free and confidential support and information to help you deal with your experience and also a Witness Service that provides support to witnesses at court.

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Crown Prosecution Service

The Crown Prosecution Service prosecute people in England and Wales who have been charged by the police with a criminal offence.

The CPS has produced a leaflet (in PDF format) that explains the way the CPS deals with cases with a homophobic or transphobic element.

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Can anyone trace that I have visited these web pages?

If someone else has access to your computer it is possible that some or all of these web pages will be stored on your computer.

Find out how to clear areas of your computer history of web pages you have visited.

Broken Rainbow Forum
LGBT Domestic Violence Forum

Survey of Domestic Violence against LGBT

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Silence is not Golden
A website set up to tackle homophobic crime and explain the options of reporting hate crime.


Other Websites:


Long established transgendered support group