Local people star in homophobic crime campaign
Lesbian, gay and trans people being punched, called names, and their houses daubed in grafitti – a new campaign highlights just some of the forms hate crimes can take and encourages victims to report incidents to the police.
With recent Home Office figures estimating that as much as 90% of homophobic hate crime goes unreported, one of England’s biggest police forces has launched a hard-hitting campaign starring local people.
A DVD of a short animation and supporting posters will be distributed across the West Midlands Police region’s gay scenes and other places, such as universities and colleges.
The minute-long animation uses examples of three real-life scenarios and urges victims to report hate crimes.
In the first scene a man returns home to find offensive graffiti outside his house.
Later, a woman is walking down the street only to be called names by two boys.
In the final scene, a man can be seen shouting abuse to another victim.
As the animation draws to a close, the viewer is encouraged to “be an individual – not a statistic” and to report hate crimes.
West Midlands Assistant Chief Constable Gary Cann said:
“This campaign uses situations that members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans gender communities may have experienced at some point in their lives.
“By doing this we hope to encourage people to come forward and report hate crimes should they or somebody they know become a victim.”
To view the video or for more information on how to report hate crime, visit www.west-midlands.police.uk or www.lgbt-police.org.uk or call West Midlands Police on 0845 113 5000.
