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LGBTQ+ Kite Trust in Ely to become key centre for reporting hate crimes
‘Hate crimes often start off small and escalate’
The Kite Trust in Ely has become East Cambridgeshire’s latest Third Party Hate Crime Reporting Centre (TPRC). The Kite Trust, based on Market Street, supports LGBTQ+ young people across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
Their LGBTQ+ trained youth workers offer tailored support to anyone reporting hate crimes and incidents. They can also receive anonymous reports and help people understand what the follow up investigation process looks like.
People can also seek help for hate crimes from trained advisors at Littleport Town Council, Sutton Parish Council, Fordham Parish Council and The Lighthouse in Ely.
A hate crime is any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim, or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a personal characteristic, specifically actual or perceived race, religion/faith, sexual orientation, disability and transgender identity.
Pip Gardner, chief executive of The Kite Trust, explained: “It is widely accepted that hate crimes are under reported, especially among members of the LGBT+ community.
“Not all victims of hate crime are comfortable with reporting their experiences directly to the police, for fear of being outed in terms of their sexuality or disability, or because they find visiting police stations intimidating or daunting.
“Third party reporting centres overcome these barriers by providing an alternative way to report a hate crime. They give confidential advice, help a person report it, and support the person along the way. The person can remain anonymous if they wish, and they don’t need to have contact with the police if they don’t want to.
“By offering our services as a Third Party Hate Crime reporting centre, we hope more people will feel comfortable in seeking help so we can stamp out this cruel behaviour which destroys so many people’s lives.”
Tiff Lane, Action Against Hate co-ordinator, Cambridgeshire Constabulary explains: “People don’t tend to report these kinds of crimes for many reasons.
“Our hope is that victims of hate can have their voices heard and hate crimes are reported, so that we can properly understand, investigate and manage the issues our communities face.
“Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Hate Reporting Centres are places where the staff understand what hate crimes are, how they hurt and why, and how people can report, so staff will feel equipped to share this knowledge with victims.”
The Kite Trust received training via the East Cambridgeshire Community Safety Partnership (CSP) which brings together representatives from the police, Federation of Small Businesses and East Cambridgeshire District Council, as well as other organisations working together to protect the local community from crime and help people feel safe.
Lis Every, chair of the CSP, said: “We are delighted to have been able to offer the awareness training needed to help local organisations become Third Party Hate Crime Reporting Centres.
“Hate crimes often start off small and escalate to cause irreparable damage to individuals and in some cases whole communities.
Pip Gardner from The Kite Trust (R) is pictured with Harriet from East Cambs CSP and representatives of East Cambs Police
“The combined support of the CSP and local organisations such as The Kite Trust puts us in a much stronger position to stamp this out and I would encourage anyone who is experiencing a hate crime to report it as soon as possible.”
The Kite Trust is the fifth organisation in East Cambridgeshire to become a Third Party Hate Crime Reporting Centre and hosted the launch of the new countywide Hate Crime Awareness material.
Darryl Preston, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough funded the Hate Crime Awareness material through the Safer Communities fund.
He said: “While there is no place for hate crime in our county, having appropriate support is vital to stamping out this awful crime.”
Hate crimes can also be reported to Stop Hate, True Vision or Cambridgeshire Police.
Anyone interested in finding out more about becoming a HCRC or hate crime training should contact ECCSP@eastcambs.gov.uk
