Six arrested in Lambeth in crackdown on hate crime (From Streatham Guardian)

Six arrested in Lambeth in crackdown on hate crime

6:00am Friday 21st May 2010 in News By Matt Watts

A string of arrests were made during a police operation in Lambeth to crack down on hate crime.

Suspects accused of domestic, homophobic, transphobic, race, and faith-related offences, and crimes against disabled people, were all targeted in raids carried out across London.

Six people were arrested in Lambeth. Three were bailed, one had no further action taken against them, and two were charged.

The operation - called Athena - came a day after the International Day Against Homophobia, and is aimed at bringing offenders of hate crime to justice.

Further police patrols took place in hate crime hotspots to encourage victims to come forward and report offences to police or a third party.

Detective Superintendent Darren Williams, the head of the Met's hate crime unit, said: "We know all hate crime is under reported and this remains a challenge for us.

"We will continue to work hard to gain the trust and confidence of all communities so victims feel they can come forward and tell police.

"My message to all victims is if you feel you can't tell the police - tell someone."

In the 12 months to April 2009, there were 1,916 domestic violence incidents reported in Lambeth, and 301 racist and religious hate crimes reported.

The number of reports fell for both crime areas on the previous year.

However homophobic crimes reported went up from 69 to 100 in the same time period.

To report hate crime, victims can call the police on 0300 123 1212 or visit met.police.uk.

Crimes can also be reported via galop.org.uk and londonfriend.org.uk, or call the lesbian and gay switchboard on 020 7837 7324.