Homophobic hate crime reports double in the UK since 2014, but charges are falling

Homophobic hate crime: Beaten-up for being gay

Jarek explained to the BBC that he was beaten and hospitalised in a homophobic attack after a night out in February 2019.

"I thought London was the best place to be happy and safe and gay - until I was beaten up," he said.

A BBC 5 Live investigation found the number of hate crime reports across the UK more than doubled in the last five years, to over 13,000.

But the number of cases that led to charges or court summons being issued fell by 10% in the same time, to 1,047.

Jarek says he has had a positive experience with the police, but hate crime victim Ferhan says the police have not taken his report of being chased by a group of men shouting abuse from a car seriously.

"These men should have been tried for their crimes, but that never happened."

The London Metropolitan Police Service say they have a hate crime liaison officer within every partnership and prevention hub in its basic command units and a central hate crime team.

"We stand with colleagues and groups to investigate all hate crime allegations, support victims, bring perpetrators to justice," the force said.

Since 2014, Warwickshire has seen a year-on-year increase in hate crime affecting LGBT+ people, so the recent media headlines covering hate crime is not just occuring in cities such as London, Liverpool or Hull, it is taking place here in Warwickshire!   

If any person experineces or witnesses any form of hate crime, they should always report. There are various ways to report depending on how much information people wish to give. 

You can ring the Police by calling 101 in a non-emergency situation, but always call 999 in an emergency. 

In Warwickshire, some people do not wish to contact the police directly, so they can report hate crimes/incidents to EQuIP, who are an independent charity. You can report online via the www.reporthatenow.com website, email EQuIP: advice@equipequality.org.uk, or people wishing to report would prefer to speak to someone in person, you can contact telephone EQuIP on 01788 863117.