A new poll shows lesbian, gay and bisexual people remain at serious risk of suffering violent abuse and intimidation in Britain, and levels of reporting to police are low. Homophobic Hate Crime: The Gay British Crime Survey 2013 looks in detail at the experiences and extent of homophobic hate crimes in Britain. The polling of 2,500 people, conducted by YouGov for Stonewall, shows that hate crime remains a serious issue across the country. One in six lesbian, gay and bisexual people have experienced a hate crime in the last three years. One in ten of those who experienced a homophobic hate crime were physically assaulted with almost one in five victims threatened with violence or the use of force. Stonewall says worryingly, more than eight in ten gay people who suffered a hate crime or incident reported harassment, insults or intimidation. “Despite radical steps to make police forces more accountable to the public these figures show deeply disturbing levels of violence and intimidation still faced every day by lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Britain,” says Stonewall Deputy Chief Executive Ruth Hunt. “The fact that two thirds of gay people who experienced a hate crime or incident didn’t report it to anyone shows the scale of the challenge facing our criminal justice system.” The Chief Executive of Britain’s College of Policing, Alex Marshall, says the results survey provide a significant opportunity to review and improve how the police respond to homophobic hate crime. “There’s still more to do and we are committed to working with forces, police and crime commissioners and wider stakeholders to ensure we play our part in delivering a better service for victims of homophobic hate crime.”
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 16th October 2013 - 11:33am