As much three quarters of crime against members of the glbti community could be going unreported, something one of the country’s senior police officers says is of “huge concern”, and desperately needs to change. Senior Sergeant Rod Salt, a Diversity Liaison officer with Auckland Central Police says since it’s underreported, it’s extremely difficult to say for sure how much is going unsaid. However he says a recent Police Knowledge Profile Document commented that the un-reporting could be as must as 75 per cent. “This is purely anecdotal but if accurate it is of a huge concern to not only the community but also the police,” he says. “I believe it is a hangover from the days when police did not treat glbti issues at all seriously - sadly it is not all that long ago,” Senior Sergeant Salt says. “After all it has only been since 1993 that Police have allowed recruiting of openly gay officers. So a large part of the problem is lack in trust in the Police which is quite understandable, especially in the older community who were possibly victims or know victims of previous Police indifference - or worse.” Salt says unreported crimes are feasibly all types, but would likely include physical assault, sexual assault and family violence. “Being a victim of crime at any level is never a pleasant experience, and a serious crime can leave a victim traumatised and unable function normally. “By reporting a crime it has the ability to give power back to the victim and can open doors for assistance through victim organisations such as Shine, Victim Support or even ACC. When it comes to Diversity Liaison Officers (DLOs), the established police officers and police staff who can act as intermediaries between police and the glbti public, Senior Sergeant Salt concedes there is probably not enough awareness of their role. “Although when I do speak to people in the community they often do have some knowledge about DLOs. What people have to remember is that usually the DLO will be unable to help them specifically but will act as a conduit to the specialists who will help such as the Adult Sexual Abuse Team (ASAT), they will also act as support when making a complaint and provide advice, and when we can we will deal with matters ourselves such as I have on numerous occasions.” Senior Sergeant Rod Salt Overall Senior Sergeant Salt is urging members of the community to get in touch and report the crime, and not to assume the police of today is the same as it was 15-20 years ago. “It is not. We are here to help and not to judge,” he says. “In order for the Police to concentrate resources in a particular area (such as same sex family violence) we need to know that there is a problem in that area, we will not spend money on resources if there is no identifiable problem,” Senior Sergeant Salt explains. “If you feel that you have not been treated fairly by the police for any reason do not be afraid to complain - a DLO is a good place to start the complaints process, and we will refer the complaint to our Professional Standards investigators. On the first day of the Rugby World Cup last year I received a complaint about a victim of assault who felt his case was not looked at by attending police because he was gay. I picked up the case, got it investigated and dealt with the officers who had not dealt with it at the time.” Salt says police have moved on considerably in the past few years: “New Zealand Police are the least corrupt in the world, the most trusted Government Agency, our approval rating from the public is very high and improving, we are openly recruiting from ALL communities and we are trying very hard to improve in all areas. “I know it will be a slow process and the glbti community will need to see some more good news stories about police successes before we can hope to gain more trust but I know it is not impossible and in fact it is essential before we can stop some of the ‘invisible’ victimisation that is occurring in the community.” Have you been a victim of crime, which you have not reported? Tell us why. Email news@gaynz.com, in confidence. Jacqui Stanford - 20th April 2012