UK:- Just how much homophobic crime goes unreported?

According to the Intercom Trust, which was formed to offer advocacy for people who encounter homophobic crime, prejudice or discrimination in the rural south west of England, there's a lot. They say there's still a lack of trust in the authorities and many victims still don't believe that they will be taken seriously.

Devon and Cornwall Police, on the other hand, say that the number of reported gay hate crimes has dropped by 30% over the past five years, which they say is in part due to the fact that they are working hard to raise awareness and improve the way they deal with cases.

Diversity officer Sgt Glynn Currey said the force had come a long way in dealing with such crimes.But he added that officers understood why victims were reluctant to come forward.

He said: "People will have had negative experiences with us in years gone by, or with another force. We are aware of that....We now put in a large amount of effort to ensure people are safe and they can come to us in confidence with their concerns." (BBC News)

Of course, there are occasions when it's clear that crime or abuse is motivated by hate and homophobia. But homophobic abuse can also be subtle and insidious (all the worse if you're living somewhere you feel isolated), and we've still got a long way to go in terms of finding ways of dealing with this, both at an individual and community level.