Agenda item

Homophobic Hate Crime

It was moved by Councillor Neale Gibson, seconded by Councillor Nikki Bond, that this Council:-

(a)       calls on the Home Secretary to act on the recent report from Stonewall on homophobic hate crime showing that:

(i)        one in six lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered (LGBT) people have experienced a homophobic hate crime in the last three years;

(ii)       one in ten victims experienced a physical assault as part of the incident;

(iii)      more than three out of four victims didn’t report their experience to the police;

(iv)      almost a third didn’t report because they didn’t believe the police could or would do anything;

(v)       one in four gay or bisexual women have experienced domestic abuse in a relationship;

(vi)      half of all gay and bisexual men have experienced at least one incident of domestic abuse since the age of 16;

(vii)     a quarter expect discrimination if reporting a homophobic hate crime to the police; and

(viii)    more than a third of lesbian, gay and bisexual people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds expect discrimination from the police;

(b)       further notes that when these figures are extrapolated to Sheffield, over six thousand residents of the City have experienced homophobic hate crime in the last three years, and in recent years the total number of reports to the police was an average of 40 per year; and

(c)       recognises the work that the South Yorkshire Police, lead by Police and Crime Commissioner Shaun Wright, are currently undertaking with the LGBT groups in the City.

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Roger Davison, seconded by Councillor Penny Baker, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the deletion of paragraph (c) and the addition of a new paragraph (c) as follows:-

(c)       calls upon Shaun Wright,  the Police and Crime Commissioner, to undertake further work with LGBT groups across the city to ensure that homophobic hate crimes are tackled.

On being put to the vote, the amendment was negatived.  The original Motion was then put to the vote and carried, as follows:-

RESOLVED:  That this Council:-

(a)       calls on the Home Secretary to act on the recent report from Stonewall on homophobic hate crime showing that:

(i)        one in six lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered (LGBT) people have experienced a homophobic hate crime in the last three years;

(ii)       one in ten victims experienced a physical assault as part of the incident;

(iii)      more than three out of four victims didn’t report their experience to the police;

(iv)      almost a third didn’t report because they didn’t believe the police could or would do anything;

(v)       one in four gay or bisexual women have experienced domestic abuse in a relationship;

(vi)      half of all gay and bisexual men have experienced at least one incident of domestic abuse since the age of 16;

(vii)     a quarter expect discrimination if reporting a homophobic hate crime to the police; and

(viii)    more than a third of lesbian, gay and bisexual people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds expect discrimination from the police;

(b)       further notes that when these figures are extrapolated to Sheffield, over six thousand residents of the City have experienced homophobic hate crime in the last three years, and in recent years the total number of reports to the police was an average of 40 per year; and

(c)       recognises the work that the South Yorkshire Police, lead by Police and Crime Commissioner Shaun Wright, are currently undertaking with the LGBT groups in the City.

(Note: Councillors Rob Frost, Sylvia Anginotti, Colin Ross, Joe Otten, Penny Baker, Diana Stimely, Roger Davison, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Denise Reaney, Ian Auckland, Anders Hanson, Katie Condliffe, David Baker, Alison Brelsford and Trevor Bagshaw voted for paragraphs (a) and (b) and abstained on paragraph (c) and asked for this to be recorded.)