Home Office: Homophobic crime down but transphobic crime up across England and Wales

Figures released this month by the Home Office show there has been a fall in the number of homophobic crimes recorded in England and Wales.

From the period of 2011 to 2012, a total of 4,362 homophobic crimes were recorded in England and Wales.

However, during 2012 to 2013, the number of homophobic crimes fell by 95 to 4,267.

From the period of 2011 to 2012, a total of 309 transphobic crimes were recorded in England and Wales.

In the most recent period of 2012 to 2013, this had increased by 52 to 361 transphobic crimes.

But the Home Office data notes that LGBT hate crimes still remain largely unreported – and this is especially true of crimes against the trans community.

Several LGBT campaign groups have warned that LGBT community confidence in the police has fallen in recent years.

A report released by Galop in August showed 75% of trans people and one-in-eight gay people are the victims of a hate crime each year.

The study also found more than half of all homophobic and transphobic crimes are not reported to the police.

Unlike for homophobic crime, investigations into transphobic crime were often described as “poor”, Galop said in its research.

Research by Stonewall, published in October, showed one-in-six lesbian, gay and bisexual people had experienced a hate crime or incident in the last three years and more than three-quarters of victims did not report what they had experienced to the police.

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