New look for police cars to combat hate
LANCASHIRE police have added two more cars to their fleet to highlight the trans and bi-sexual community and all strands of hate crime.
The move comes after the launch of the liveried Police with Pride car earlier this year,
All three cars will be fully operational and utilised around the county and have been liveried at no extra cost to the force.
The two additional cars have been introduced to encourage people to report hate crimes in all areas, whether it be race, religion, disability or lifestyle and follows research from the LGB&T charity Stonewall, which indicates that, in particular, crimes within the trans and bi-sexual community are hugely under reported.
Deputy Chief Constable Sunita Gamblin said: “Lancashire has a diverse community and as such it’s important for us to understand the differing community needs and support those differing requirements.
“The feedback from our Police with Pride car has been extremely positive, however it highlighted that other strands need to be recognised.”
Clive Grunshaw Lancashire’s Police and Crime Commissioner added: “This is a clear statement about our commitment to combating hate crime in all its forms throughout the county, demonstrating that the police are aware of their local communities and keen to reflect them in everything they do.
“These cars are just one aspect of the work being done across Lancashire to tackle hate crime and help victims get the support they need through Lancashire Victim Services, which I launched earlier this year, and anything that encourages the public to report any incidents to the police or seek the support they need can only be a good thing.”