GSCENE 13
INSP JULIE FRY
HAMPSHIRE POLICE FORCE AIMS TO
IMPROVE SERVICE TO LGBT COMMUNITIES
M Around 50 Lesbian & Gay Liaison Officers (LAGLOs) from across
Hampshire Constabulary attended a development day in November last year to
help improve the force's service to LGBT
people. The aim of the event was for the
force’s LAGLOs to share ideas and best
practice and find out more about current
issues within LGBT communities in
Hampshire. It was held at police training
headquarters at Netley and speakers on
the day included:
• Age UK on the issues of elderly people in LGBT communities
• Over The Rainbow, a support service for LGBT people on issues of mental
health
• Nick Hawkins, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service
Wessex on hate crimes in sports grounds
Of particular interest to many LAGLOs was Nick Hawkins’s discussion on
homophobic and racist abuse on Twitter and other social networking sites. It
generated a debate which explored what constitutes abuse and what is required to
bring such incidents to a successful prosecution and conviction. The day was also
an opportunity to hear from two LAGLOs who run Education For All programmes.
These are officers who go into local schools to talk to young people about
homophobic and transphobic bullying and the effect abusive language can have.
They gave the group an update on their work to encourage others to extend the
scheme. You can talk to LAGLOs on Twitter @HantsPoliceLGBT.
Inspector Julie Fry, Chair of Hampshire Constabulary’s LGBT Resource Group
which co-ordinates the LAGLOs network, said: “The content of
the guests and presentations were really diverse. Age UK was
really useful especially to our LAGLOs who are trying to increase
our engagement with older LGBT communities. Nick Hawkins
has been a really kind supporter of the work we’re doing in
Hampshire Constabulary, not least in education, and I’d like to
thank him for speaking. It was good to hear him reinforce the
need to change culture and awareness about the nature of abusive language and
behaviour, change that starts at education level and particularly the work we do
with football clubs.
“I’d like to thank all the LAGLOs who were able to make the day. The service they
provide is an important one that offers trust and confidence to often less visible
communities. I want to show LGBT communities in Hampshire and the Isle of
Wight that if you have any issues about policing, or being the victim or witness of a
crime or incident, that we will take it seriously and respond actively.”
If you would like to find out more about the work of LAGLOs in Hampshire
Constabulary, email [email protected]
If you've been the victim of homophobic or transphobic abuse, call the police on
101. In an emergency, always call 999. If you don’t want to speak to the police
directly, you can call the charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111
or report hate crimes via True Vision website at: www.report-it.org.uk/home