York’s police ‘failing’ the victims of hate crimes
YORK POLICE are unique in their treatment of homophobic attacks compared to other towns and cities, classifying them as ‘diversity crimes’ rather than ‘hate crimes’. John Rose, SU Welfare Officer, believes that this seriously affects the number of attacks that are reported.
Rose explains: “Every other police force in the country treats these crimes as ‘hate crimes.’ In York, we don’t have ‘hate crimes’ we have ‘diversity crimes.’ And the absurd thing is that there’s no anonymous reporting in that. In Bradford, you can go along to the Student’s Union or you can go along to Asda and fill out a form. It’s anonymous and then you get the access you need to victim’s support.”
Without this system in York, Rose argues that many homophobic-related crimes will go unreported: “If you report any crime which has a relation to your sexuality to the police there’s the fear that you’ll be ridiculed by them.”
Rose states that treating homophobic attacks as ‘diversity crimes’ is misleading: “Diversity crimes put it on to gay people or black people and says ‘well, it’s your fault – you’re the cause of this crime because it’s a diversity crime’.”
Rose has, himself, been victim to violent homophobic attacks in the past. “I’ve been attacked three times and the amount of verbal abuse I get when walking around; it’s just ridiculous.”
Last year saw two homophobic assaults on campus, including a particularly violent incident after the Woodstock festival. Scott Dixon, one of the witnesses to the recent attack, argued that more could be done to raise awareness of homosexuality: “I recently met up with Halifax’s old LGB Officer and said that I thought one of the things that could be done was awareness posters and that sort of thing.”
Rose has confirmed that the Union will be campaigning to raise awareness this term but argues that the police need to change their policy. Without change, he argues, “they do not have an adequate way of dealing with such crimes.”
The victim of the recent attack has now agreed to let the police investigate the incident and admits that he hopes that the offender is caught. His friends also want to see the case go to trial: “Scepticism aside, I’d be willing to see it through”, Dixon stated.
