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LGBT+ HATE CRIME STATS SUMMARY | JULY 2021 | PODCAST WITH SUBTITLES

Hate incidents are incidents reported to the police but do not involve a criminal offence. Hate offences reported to the police are criminal offences which may also be a hate incident. Sanction detections are incidents or criminal offences "solved" or "actioned" in some way by the police.

 

Murder in Tower Hamlets Park Cemetery 

Update 26 August 2021

We are assisting the MPS in the murder of Ranjith Kankanamalage (also known as Roy) in Tower Hamlets Park Cemetery.  We are making sure that LGBT+ issues are addressed in the investigation of this tragic death. We are also advising on the wider police response regarding safety in Tower Hamlets and the whole of London. 

The police is treating this as a homophobic attack but remains open to other lines of inquiry.

A man arrested on Friday 20th remains under investigation. The police has released an image of the victim and is urgently appealing for witnesses.

Ranjith's body was found in the cemetery on the morning of August 16. The post mortem on Thursday concluded that the victim suffered blunt force trauma to the head.  The park remains closed for forensic investigation of the crime scene. 

If you have any information, please contact the police, Crimestoppers or Galop. The investigation team is clear that they are only interested in information relevant to the case  and are not interested in any other activity in the park. The privacy of anyone coming forward with information will be respected.

You can:

Call the Incident Room direct on 0208 345 3865
Call 101, or Tweet @MetCC quoting 1277/16. 
Follow link: https://mipp.police.uk/operation/01MPS21S81-PO1.

Use Crimestoppers anonymously: 0800 555 111.

Contact the LGBT+ charity Galop for third-party confidential reporting

See also the MPS press release.

 

Murder in Tower Hamlets Park Cemetery

We are assisting the MPS in the death of a man in Tower Hamlets Park Cemetery. 

The victim was found dead in the cemetery on the morning of August 16. The post mortem on Thursday concluded that the victim suffered blunt force trauma to the head.  The police arrested  a man on Friday on suspicion of murder. The park remains closed for forensic investigation of the crime scene.

The police is urgently appealing for information and witnesses. You can:

Call the Incident Room direct on 0208 345 3865
Call 101, or Tweet @MetCC quoting 1277/16. 
Follow link: https://mipp.police.uk/operation/01MPS21S81-PO1.

Use Crimestoppers anonymously: 0800 555 111.

Contact the LGBT charity Galop for third-party confidential reporting

See also the MPS press release.

We are making sure that LGBT+ issues are addressed in the murder investigation as well as the wider police response regarding safety for our community.  

Although it is not yet clear whether this specific case was motivated by homophobia, this murder has taken place in the background of increased number of incidents in the vicinity of cruising grounds. We have been working with local police and local LGBT+ networks to improve policing and to encourage personal safety. This tragic incident highlights the urgent need for this work.

Where to report LGBT+ Hate Crime and Other Hate Crime

 Community Alliance To Combat Hate (CATCH)
CATCH is a group of charities working to end hate crime. They give specialist advice and help to people targeted with violence, abuse or harassment because of their race, religion, disability, sexuality or gender identity. CATCH is open to anyone experiencing hate in London. If you experienced a hate crime elsewhere, you can still get in touch.

The partnership is commissioned by the Mayors Office Policing and Crime (MOPAC). CATCH is a way for people who have experienced hate to get the maximum amount of help with a minimum amount of hassle. The alliance is the first of its kind, bringing together community organisations from different hate crime strands. 

Current partners:

GALOP
Galop provides advice and support to people who have experienced hate crime because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Hate crime can include verbal or written abuse, harassment and violence. Galop provides help to lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people experiencing any type of abuse, so you can also get in touch if you have experienced domestic abuse, sexual violence, or any other safety problem.

The Monitoring Group (TMG)
An anti-racist charity that promotes civil rights. Provide a helpline and casework service to people experiencing racial violence, religious hatred, sexual violence and state neglect or misconduct. Leading exponent of family-led empowerment and justice campaigns in the UK. Some of these cases led to Public Judicial Inquiries and consequent changes in legislation, social policies and practices. Since the London Bombings, has worked with victim families of the carnage as well as Black Minority and Ethnic and Muslim groups and individuals affected by indiscriminate state-led policies in London, Midlands and the North.

The Community Security Trust (CST)
A Jewish charity that supports victims of antisemitism and records antisemitic hate incidents and hate crimes. CST received charitable status in 1994 and is a national organisation with full-time staff in London, Manchester and Leeds and a network of volunteers throughout the United Kingdom. Annual Antisemitic Incidents Report contains the only UK-wide statistics and analysis of antisemitic incidents and hate crimes. CST has extensive experience of advocacy and support for victims of antisemitic hate crime.

TellMAMA
Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks (MAMA) is a secure and reliable service that allows people from across England to report any form of Anti-Muslim abuse. You can do so via the Telephone, Email, SMS, Facebook or Twitter. Once they have your information secured, a trained caseworker will call to discuss the issue further and ensure they have all the details required to record the incident accurately, and offer support.

Choice in Hackney
Choice in Hackney supports people who have experienced disability hate crime, based on learning disability, mental health needs, physical disability and/or sensory impairment. They are a voluntary organisation, which provides Advocacy and Independent Living Services to disabled people in London. They support disabled people from all communities to obtain the services they need to live independently, with dignity and to make choices about their lifestyles.

Stay Safe East
Stay Safe East is a unique user-led organisation run by disabled people, providing specialist and holistic advocacy and support services to disabled people from diverse communities in London who are victims/survivors of domestic or sexual violence, hate crime, harassment and other forms of abuse.

​Real
Real is a registered third party reporting centre, which means they have the skills and experience to assist you through the reporting process if you do not wish to report the crime directly to the police yourself. They will explain all the reporting options available to you, so you are in control of the choices you make. They can also refer you to Victim Support so you can receive the support you need to cope with emotional stress.

Hate Crime Statistics | June 2021 | Audio | 1m 23s

Hate incidents are incidents reported to the police but do not involve a criminal offence. Hate offences reported to the police are criminal offences which may also be a hate incident. Sanction detections are incidents or criminal offences "solved" or "actioned" in some way by the police.

Hate Crime Statistics | May 2021 | Audio | 1m 22s

Hate incidents are incidents reported to the police but do not involve a criminal offence. Hate offences reported to the police are criminal offences which may also be a hate incident. Sanction detections are incidents or criminal offences "solved" or "actioned" in some way by the police.

Hate Crime Statistics | April 2021 | Audio | 1m 27s

Hate incidents are incidents reported to the police but do not involve a criminal offence. Hate offences reported to the police are criminal offences which may also be a hate incident. Sanction detections are incidents or criminal offences "solved" or "actioned" in some way by the police.

Audio Hate Crime Statistics | March 2021

Please note: this an experimental post, presenting hate crime statistics as an audio file. Hate incidents are incidents reported to the police but do not involve a criminal offence. Hate offences reported to the police are criminal offences which may also be a hate incident. Sanction detections are incidents or criminal offences "solved" or "actioned" in some way by the police.

Coroner Inquest into the murders of Stephen Port postponed

The judge-led coroner inquest into the murders of Stephen Port was scheduled to start on Jan 7 at Barking Town Hall. This has been postponed at the last minute due to the escalation of the Covid emergency. We should have more information to share in the last week of January.

UPDATE (21 Jan): The inquest has been re-listed for Oct-Nov 2021 by the coroner. This was due to concern about the ability to hold an inquest for eight weeks during the Covid pandemic and also the availability of the legal representatives of all the interested parties.

Background

Stephen Port was convicted of the murders of Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth and Jack Taylor between June 2014 and September 2015.  
These four young men aged between 22 and 25 years old died in Barking and Dagenham after being poisoned by Stephen Port with the chemsex drug GHB.

In November 2016, following a trial at the Old Bailey, Stephen Port was convicted of murdering all four men. He was also found guilty of sexually assaulting a number of other young men. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order. 

There has been serious concern about the late linkage of the four murders. 
Following this trial, the coroner's office appointed judge Sarah Munro QC to conduct a fresh inquest into all four deaths. 

This is separate from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation into the handling of these deaths by the Metropolitan Police (MPS)
Although a draft report has been received by the MPS, the final IOPC report has not published. (The LGBT+ Advisory Group has not seen this report.) The coroner's inquest has included the IOPC findings as evidence and so any publication will be delayed until at least the conclusion of the inquest.

The LGBT+ Advisory Group has been working with the MPS to identify learnings from this tragic case.  Among this work is a review of 58 cases of GHB-related deaths. The report with detailed recommendations was published in December 2020. (See our separate news item.)