News Articles
6 December, 2004
We are prepared for a long journey
Source: uk.gay.com by Ben Townley
Recent figures suggested anti-gay hate crime in Scotland had surged by as much as 90% in the past year, with attacks becoming increasingly violent.
However, could these figures be a result of better policing and an increase in confidence amongst LGBT victims of crime?
We spoke to Lothian and Borders Police's Chief Inspector George Denholm, who is also the head of the diversity directorate for the region, carrying the LGBT portfolio at Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland (ACPOS) level to find out.
Do you think the most recent hate crime figures for Scotland are representative?
I think they are an accurate reflection of what the LGBT community have reported to the police. I don't think they represent the underlying level of hate crime, as I believe there is a great amount of under-reporting.
This is true for all minority communities who suffer from bigotry. There are many reasons why people don't report but they are all an operational concern and challenge for the police to overcome.
How important is it to the Lothian and Borders police force to engage with the gay community?
I think it's essential. We police with the consent and cooperation of our community. If that's to mean anything, we need to earn the trust and confidence of all the people we serve.
Bigotry and hatred attack the quality of life in civilised society but the scale of these issues obviously needs the community and the professional agencies to work in partnership if we are to make a real difference. These are issues for everyone, not just the LGBT or other minority communities.
In what ways have you attempted to build strong relationships with LGBT people?
At a national level, within Scotland we have a Reference Group chaired and made up of representatives from LGBT organisations and Police LGBT Liaison Officers. This group advise the Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland (ACPOS) on areas of policy and also refers matters to them that they believe the police need to consider.
The Management Information Measures that the press recently seized upon are a good example. This group designed these and all Scottish Forces have adopted them. This group has also contributed to a public sex policy, which tackles the nuisance that can surround such activity in a staged, problem solving approach that avoids labelling this as a gay issue. Locally, we ask and we listen.
We have genuine and meaningful relationships with local LGBT groups and we work very well together.
Have you tried to tackle homophobia internally?
Absolutely. I spoke of building trust and confidence within the community. A very important part of that is creating and demonstrating that we have an organisation that can celebrate difference. I'm very aware of the stereotype that the community has about the Police service but things have changed and stereotypes need to be challenged. We support and consult with the Gay Police Association.
We have a very strong system of grievance and a network of confidential first contacts that staff can safely take issues to. We also monitor performance in terms of internal homophobia across Scotland through the Management Information Measures. We work with the LGBT community to train our officers and confront the stereotypes and issues that they may bring into the police from society
Do you think legislation needs to be updated to protect people from homophobic attacks?
My personal opinion is that LGBT communities should have greater protection in law. We are very lucky in Scotland that we still have a great deal of common law which allows the police and the courts to deal with criminality without the need for it to be written out in the finest detail.
However the Scottish Executive have just published their Hate Crime report and a key recommendation is that there should be a statutory aggravation for crimes motivated by malice or ill-will toward someone based on their sexual orientation or transgender identity. Not only will this help deal with the bigots but it send a very positive message to Scotland about our values.
What are your future plans to fight homophobia in your area and beyond?
Nationally we remain committed to the LGBT portfolio through ACPOS and we will continue to consult and act upon the views of the LGBT community. My own Force, Lothian & Borders Police, will shortly introduce monitoring of the sexual orientation of our staff. We feel if we don't measure this issue how can we manage improvements. At the Force level we are building upon our system of Remote Reporting to allow people to make reports to LGBT organisations that pass the details to us, rather than have to come direct to the police.
I hope this, along with demonstration of our genuine support for LGBT issues, will allow people to feel more confident and safe in reporting to us and using the police to safeguard them and their loved ones. Beyond that we need to listen to what the community needs and do our best to serve them.
I think most intelligent people now understand, even if only on a logical basis, that homophobia is totally unacceptable. I think we still have a way to go before we have achieved that change in thinking across society. It's getting better, but we are prepared for a long journey.
