New scheme for reporting hate crimes at gay bars
An innovative method of reporting homophobic attacks has been hailed a success by the West London Gay Men’s Project.
Over 30 incidents have been reported via an i-kiosk installed inside the well-known Birdcage pub in Chiswick.
The aim of the project is to increase monitoring of hate crimes, and victims have the option of requesting further assistance from police if they wish to pursue the incident.
The i-kiosk scheme is part of a wider campaign by Hounslow Community Safety Partnership. The kiosk will be moved to the Windsor Castle Pub in Hounslow this weekend.
Senior community safety officer for Hounslow Council, Permjit Chadha, told the Richmond Twickenham Times:
“We also hope people will report any incidents – even if they do not want to pursue them – so we can build up a picture of the extent of this crime in Hounslow.
“We will use the evidence in order to provide better support mechanisms and services to the community.”
Last year nearly 1,400 homophobic crimes were reported to the Metropolitan Police, but Home Office research suggests that many such incident go unreported by gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
