OUR LATEST ISSUE
Kent hate crime hotline
police
Kent police promote anti-homophobic hotline ahead of IDAHO
"We want everyone that lives, works and socialises in (the area) to feel safe and respected, regardless of their sexuality, gender, race or age."
Kent police are urging people in the county to use their 24 hour anti-homophobia and transphobia hotline in an effort to combat hate crime.
Reported incidents of homophobic and transphobic crime have dropped since the introduction of the service, with numbers falling 6.3% to 1,150 between April 2007 and March 2008, compared to the 1,227 incidents recorded during the same period in the previous year. There were 165 crimes involving homophobic prejudice and 12 of transphobic prejudice during the April 2007 to March 2008 period.
Medway Council's Community Safety and Enforcement Councillor Rehman Chishti said: 'We want everyone that lives, works and socialises in (the area) to feel safe and respected, regardless of their sexuality, gender, race or age.'
'I would urge anyone who has been the victim of homophobic or transphobic crime to contact the Kent Homophobic and Transphobic Reporting Line to ensure the perpetrators are given a clear signal that their behaviour will not be tolerated in Kent.
'Kent are leading the way with local councils by making a very marked effort to stem homophobic hate crime in their county. In a recently publicised case of homophobic harassment, two women from Whitstable were arrested and later found guilty of homophobic abuse of a neighbour. The women received a harsh punishment, one was given an immediate jail sentence of 150 days, and the other received a 24-month supervision order and was ordered to pay £625 costs. This was seen as an example of the fact that Kent police were no longer willing to tolerate this sort of abuse.'
Kent County Council have also set up a seminar on Saturday 17th May to coincide with International Day Against Homophobia. The speakers at the seminar will include the Commissioner for the Equality and Human Rights Commission and a spokesman from Stonewall. For more information, visit www.kent.police.uk/hatecrime.
The hotline number is 0800 328 9162.
