Safety & Crime

Staying safe when you’re out and about

• If you often walk home in the dark, get a personal attack alarm from a DIY store. Carry it in your hand so you can use it immediately to scare off an attacker. Make sure it is designed to continue sounding if it’s dropped or falls to the ground.
• Carry your bag close to you with the clasp facing inwards.
• Carry your house keys in your pocket.
• If someone grabs your bag, let it go. If you hang on, you could get hurt. Remember your safety is more important than your property.
• If you think someone is following you, check by crossing the street – more than once if necessary – to see if they follow. If you are still worried, get to the nearest place where there are other people – a pub or anywhere with a lot of lights on – and call the police.
• If you regularly go jogging or cycling, try to vary your route and time. Stick to well-lit roads with pavements. On commons and parklands, keep to main paths and open spaces where you can see and be seen by other people – avoid wooded areas. If you wear a personal stereo, remember you can’t hear traffic, or somebody approaching behind you.
• Avoid taking late night short-cuts through dark alleys or parks. Walk facing the traffic so a car cannot pull up behind you unnoticed.
• If a car stops and you are threatened, shout and set off your personal attack alarm if you have one. Get away as quickly as you can. This will gain you vital seconds and make it more difficult for the car driver to follow.
• If you can, make a mental note of the number and description of the car. Write down details as soon as possible afterwards.
• Don’t hitch-hike or take lifts from strangers.
• Only use licensed taxis. Ensure the driver is wearing their driver’s badge and make sure that the vehicle displays a white plate at the rear of the vehicle.
• When booking a private hire vehicle pre book and agree the fare when booking. Make sure you’re entering the correct vehicle and confirm the booking with the driver who should be wearing a badge. If you have any doubt that the taxi is legitimate don’t get into the vehicle.
• Join Thames Valley Alert

For more advice on personal safety see the Suzy Lamplugh Trust website.

Reporting Crimes and Incidents

You should call 999 in an emergency where;

• There is a risk of serious injury
• There is a risk of serious damage to property
• You suspect a crime is in progress
• It is a serious incident which needs immediate police attention

Non-emergency

If it is a non-emergency

• call the police on 101
• call into any police station

Sexual Violence

It is important to remind yourself that you are not to blame. Nothing that you have done can make a person rape or sexually assault you. You are not responsible for someone else’s actions. There is help and support locally which is listed below.

Hate Crime

The Gov.uk definition is “Crimes committed against someone because of their disability, gender-identity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation are hate crimes and should be reported to the police”. A hate crime or incident is any act that is motivated by a hostility or prejudice towards a specific part of someone’s identity. In the case of the LGBT community, this means any act of hostility towards a person’s sexuality or gender identity. It does not matter whether the individual in fact identifies themselves as within any of these groups – it can simply become hate-related if it is based upon a person’s perceived sexuality or gender identity.

Hate crimes can include:

• threatening behaviour
• assault
• robbery
• damage to property
• inciting others to commit hate crimes
• harassment

Types of incidents:

Verbal abuse – any kind of offensive or derogatory language; e.g. name calling in the street because you are holding hands with your same sex partner, or coming out of a LGBT venue

Harassment – abusive phone calls, hate mail, online bullying

Physical abuse – any act of violence or threat of violence can constitute a hate-motivated assault (i.e. kicking, spitting, punching, slapping)

Criminal damage – this could include vandalism or graffiti to your home or vehicle

If the incident constitutes a criminal offence it becomes a ‘hate crime’. Hate crimes can carry tougher sentences at court.

The police take these kinds of reports very seriously, however they are still massively under-reported. Even if the incident doesn’t constitute a crime, there are still things the police or local agencies can do to help, whether it be to support you or safeguard others from similar incidents. The police are keen to understand hate crime in the local area in order to better deal with it.

How to report:

If you think you have been a victim or you have any information about a hate crime or incident, make sure you report it. You can do so in a number of ways:

Via the police:

Online – via the Thames Valley Police website

Phone – always call 999 in an emergency if there is a crime in progress or there is serious risk of immediate harm to life or property.

Alternatively, call 101 to speak with Thames Valley Police.

If you wish, you can request to speak with a LAGLO (Lesbian and Gay Liaison Officer). A LAGLO is a police officer or member of police staff who has specialist training in, and a specific understanding of, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues. This expert knowledge and understanding offers a critical additional resource not only to Thames Valley Police but also lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGB&T) communities and individuals.

Embracing and considering all aspects of policing, the role is designed to assist the maximization of service delivery opportunities to improve confidence, trust and communication between Thames Valley Police and LGB&T communities and individuals.

There is already a demand for LAGLO assistance across the Thames Valley Police area. So, if you would like to get in contact with your local LAGLO, please call Thames Valley Police on 101 and ask to be connected.

Third-party reporting options:

If you don’t want to report it directly to the police, there are options to report it via third-parties such as :

Galop

Stop Hate UK

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