PSNI to record hate crimes against transsexuals
Hate crimes against transsexuals and transvestites in the North will be recorded separately by police from today.
Until now transphobic incidents have not been totalled in the same way as homophobic, racist and sectarian offences, which has made it difficult to pinpoint the scale of the problem.
Campaigners hailed the move, which was revealed in a new PSNI policy, as a step forward for a forgotten group in the community.
David McCartney of the Rainbow Project said: “Transphobia is something that is very, very real and experienced by transgender people on a daily basis.
“It can be only minor verbal abuse but it can have serious long-term implications for the health and welfare of the individual concerned.
“There are also many more serious incidents and it is extremely important that these are recorded.”
Mr McCartney, the coalition’s development co-ordinator, said it was important for the police to communicate with the transgender community.
But he expressed concern that while progress was being made in some areas, others remained intolerant.
He added: “It is so easy to make light of it without thinking: 'This is real people we are talking about.'”
Hate crime was recently identified by PSNI Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde as the biggest challenge facing his force.
The PSNI document, which is published to coincide with International Day Against Racism, outlines minimum standards for investigations as well as guidelines on supervision and support for victims.
It includes the option of restorative cautioning which, if both parties agree, would allow for the perpetrators of hate crimes to meet their victims.
The policy also ensures a case will be reviewed by a senior officer if no-one has been cautioned 28 days after it was reported.
The latest PSNI figures reveal there were 763 racial incidents between April last year and January, an increase of 73 on the previous year.
There were 187 homophobic incidents in the same period, 29 more than the corresponding 2004/2005 figure.
No comparative figures are available for religious/faith incidents (72), sectarian incidents (1,570) and disablist incidents (74).
An advertising campaign focusing on hate crime was launched last month in every District Command Unit (DCU) in the North.
The poster initiative, which was piloted in six DCUs last year, is designed to raise community awareness of hate crime and promote the online reporting of such crimes via the PSNI website.
Meanwhile, the Irish Football Association (IFA) has backed a new campaign to stamp out racism.
As part of Anti-Racism Week, the game’s European governing body UEFA is set to publish a 10-point plan against racism and sectarianism in the sport.
The IFA is working in partnership with the Community Relations Council, the Sports Council, the Council for Ethnic Minorities and the Equality Commission.
