Hundreds of violent attacks on Liverpool's LGBT+ population remain unsolved as the number of reported hate crimes continues to steadily rise.
Between 2019 and August 2022, Merseyside police received 1,804 reports of both violent and non-violent LGBT+ hate crimes in the city. Some 82 of these reports (4.5%) resulted in charges being brought, with 50 of these being made by post.
Andi Herring, CEO and Co-founder of LCR Pride Foundation, said: "Any increase in hate crime is something that should be taken seriously, and prosecution rates are currently lower than we would expect and wish them to be. We understand that there are likely to be multiple reasons for low prosecution rates, including the current political state of the country has led to actual increases in hate crime and division in communities, reported or unreported."
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There have been 1,642 homophobic hate crimes reported to police in the past three years, with 358 of these being violent hate crimes.
2021 was a particularly bad year for hate crime rates, as 132 violent incidents and 468 non-violent ones were reported - more than any other year since 2019. This year, 77 violent incidents and 319 non-violent ones were reported between January and August.
Reports of transphobic hate crimes are also on the rise, as more incidents were reported to police in the first eight months of 2022 than in any other year since 2019. Ten violent assaults and 39 non-violent offences have been reported so far, totalling 49 - almost double the 25 reports police received in 2019.
Merseyside Police Detective Superintendent Cheryl Rhodes said: “We have seen the number of homophobic hate crime reported to us increase and believe this shows that we understand the issues faced as more victims have the confidence to come forward and report it to us, as they know that they will be fully supported throughout the investigation."
However, the number of people being charged in relation to hate crime incidents remains low.
Of 1642 homophobic hate crimes reported in the past three years (both violent and non-violent) only 79 resulted in a charge (4.8%). Of 162 transphobic hate crimes reported, only three resulted in charges (1.8%).
In 2020, four people, including one child, were cautioned in relation to homophobic hate crime reports. In two cases, a community resolution was reached. In 2021 two adults were cautioned and one community resolution was reached, and another community resolution was reached this year.
No cautions were issued or community resolutions reached in relation to any of the reported transphobic incidents.
This means only 92 out of a total 1,804 cases since 2019 reached any sort of conclusion, with police closing the books on the remaining 1,712.
But det supt Rhodes said: “Merseyside Police takes a strong stance against hate crime of any kind, and those who commit hate crime have no place in our communities.
“Our specialist officers and team of dedicated hate crime co-ordinators work tirelessly to provide support to victims of hate crime, and to find those responsible and put them before the courts, as well working with our partners to educate on the harm that hate causes in our communities.
“Our dedicated officers and partners work hard to make victims feel safe and comfortable to report homophobic and transphobic hate crimes to us. They are supported at every step as sensitively as possible."
She added: "We continue to work proactively with our partners including LCR Pride, the Michael Causer Foundation, Citizens Advice Liverpool, local councils and licences premises across Merseyside to understand community concerns, develop our awareness and encourage reporting.
“We also work with the Police and Crime Commissioner and partners on the ‘You’re Safe Here’ scheme to create safe spaces in venues across the Liverpool City Region, following feedback received last year and in response to reports."
Dept supt Rhodes added: “Everyone should be free to live their lives in Merseyside without fear of being subjected to verbal or physical abuse, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
“Where we identify a crime, we take firm action but even where an allegation does not meet the criminal threshold, we can and do offer the support of partner agencies to ensure the person reporting gets the assistance they need to feel safe.”
Andi said: "As the city region's LGBT+ organisation, we educate about hate crime and work to challenge and tackle it at every level. We are working together with the community and city partners to make hate crimes easier to report, for allies and bystanders to play their part in reporting, and to help ensure evidence is gathered quickly to help put a case forward.
"As such, it is becoming more accepted to call out discrimination in all of its forms.
"Great effort is also being put into training the CPS about diverse communities, so the magistrates that deal with these cases understand the seriousness of hate crime on victims and society. We continue to work in partnership with the police, business community and our LGBT+ community to raise awareness of hate crime, the many ways to report it and all of our responsibilities as bystanders and to call out hatred."
- Anyone who has been the victim of a hate crime can report it to police, or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
- Independent charity Stop Hate UK offers a 24/7 confidential helpline for all victims of hate crime on 0800 138 1625 or at www.stophateuk.org.
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