Police seek volunteers to help challenge hate crimes

West Yorkshire Police officers are appealing for help as an initiative is being relaunched early next month, with backing from officers and Kirklees Council.

The Kirklees scrutiny panel for homophobic hate crime will sit next Monday at the Galpharm Stadium in Huddersfield.

Police and their partner organisations are now appealing for people to volunteer to sit on the panel with their representatives.

The volunteers are needed to bring their own views, ideas and experiences to the table and help police and their partners improve the way they deliver their service to the gay and lesbian community when investigating hate crime.

Kirklees police’s hate crime co-ordinators already run regular scrutiny panels on the handling of disability and race, religion and faith hate crimes and have been keen to develop a similar scheme for homophobic hate crimes.

Pc Emma Harrison, hate crime coordinator for Kirklees police, said it was important that the police work was open to scrutiny.

She said: “Scrutiny panels are a crucial part of our work in the hate crime department.

“We aim to be as open as we can in terms of our investigation of hate crime and this is a great opportunity for members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community of Kirklees to assist in reviewing investigations and providing independent feedback on how we can improve our service to the LGBT community in Kirklees.

“I have been working to get the panel back up and running, but have been short of volunteer members.

“If this is an area where you feel you could make a positive contribution to the scrutiny process, do please get in touch.”

Councillors in Kirklees have backed the re-launched initiative.

Councillor Jean Calvert, Kirklees Council’s joint cabinet member for well-being and communities, said: “This is an important step in the right direction to ensure that our service meets the needs of the local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.”

As hate incident coordinator, Pc Harrison says she will answer questions about what is involved.

She can be contacted on 01924 335037.