The East London area has the highest rate of abuse on rail networks of people who identify as LGBTQ+ according to a survey.
In a report released on November 16 by watchdog London TravelWatch and LQBT+ anti-abuse charity Galop about the rise in LGBTQ+ hate crime on London transport, it revealed that East London has the highest percentage of cases in the city.
The East London area in the survey included the boroughs of Hackney and Tower Hamlets as well as Havering, Barking & Dagenham, Newham, Redbridge, and Waltham Forest.
Nearly half of the 607 LGBTQ+ respondents said that seeing the police officers does not make them feel safer on public transport.
The findings also indicate LGBTQ+ individuals’ uncertainty about reporting their encounters to law enforcement because of a lack of trust.
Zoë Garbett of Hackney’s Green Party reinforced her support for the LGBTQ+ community following the release of the report and expressed her concern towards Transport for London and The BTP’s handling of LGBTQ+ specific hate crimes and abuse.
Garbett, who identifies as queer, told Eastlondonlines that: “challenging all hate crime is vitally important – the diversity of our city should be celebrated, and it is important that people are free to live their lives openly and free from abuse and harm.
“It is about listening to communities about what they need to make them safe and making sure we prioritise resources in line with the points raised.”
She added that in terms of policing: “it is about priorities and looking at how police time and resources are used.”
Siwan Hayward, TFL’s Director of Security, Policing, and Enforcement, in a statement released after the report, said: “We want everyone to feel safe and be safe when travelling around London at all times without fear of abuse, and hate crime has absolutely no place on our network.
“We will continue to work closely with LGBTQ+ groups and stakeholders to ensure that no one ever faces abuse or discrimination for who they are.”
Hayward said that TFL’s staff are trained in how to support their customers and “deal with reports seriously and with compassion”, adding that earlier this year, they “set out clear guidance on how customers can safely intervene if they witness incidents of hate crime.”
However, the report reflected that LGBTQ+ people find it unsafe to intervene as active bystanders when abusive incidents occur because they feel unsupported by the general public and the police.
TravelWatch outlined that within policing authorities, in particular the British Transport Police, an action plan should be created and implemented detailing how they will address LGBTQ+ prejudice within their organisation and try to build trust within the LGBTQ+ community.
Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Furnell, Head of Crime and Public Protection for the BTP, said in a statement that: “preventing and tackling hate crime is a British Transport Police priority. Everyone has a right to travel without fear, and no one should be subjected to violence or harassment because of who they are.”
Furnell said the BTP: “conduct highly visible patrols and dedicated operations across the railway to ensure the safety and security of passengers and staff.
“Our officers are ready to respond to incidents of hate crime immediately, and with access to more than 150,000 CCTV cameras across the rail network, they can quickly identify offenders and make arrests. Our officers work tirelessly to achieve a successful outcome for the victim and the wider community. Incidents of this nature will not be tolerated on the railway or anywhere.”
