Julian Punch
On Tuesday the 16 December at Police Headquarters our community will celebrate with the members of the LGBTI Police Reference Group the official Launch of the Tasmanian Police LGBTI Liaison Officers information posters and brochures. These posters and leaflets will inform people from our community about their rights and available support in relation to neighbourhood hate crime’ through the Police Liaison Officers network.
Press Release Coming Out Proud Program (COPP) www.comingoutproud.org
Tasmanian Police Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Reference Group
Launch of the Tasmanian Police LGBTI Information Posters and Brochures 16 Dec 2008 – State Police Headquarters 47 Liverpool St Hobart 10.30 am
On Tuesday the 16 December at Police Headquarters our community will celebrate with the members of the LGBTI Police Reference Group the official Launch of the Tasmanian Police LGBTI Liaison Officers information posters and brochures. These posters and leaflets will inform people from our community about their rights and available support in relation to neighbourhood hate crime’ through the Police Liaison Officers network.
The four regional COPP Community Liaison Committees have worked with victims of neighbourhood hate crime in their regions over the last two years for assistance and support. Representatives of the victims group have met with the Tasmanian Police Minister Jim Cox and the Police Commissioner Darren Hine to work on a log of claims that will provide better protection to members of the LGBTI community experiencing discrimination, intimidation and sometimes violence.
These include amongst other strategies improved competency based cultural awareness training, GLBTI police officer recruitment and retention strategies, and improved local coordination with police through the LGBTI Police Liaison Officers. The Commissioner has approved an additional five hours of LGBTI Cultural Awareness training at regional level with training arrangements to be supported by Working It Out in Consultation with the COPP Community Liaison Committees.
The stories of victims is distressing with reports of neighbourhood abuse, threats, intimidation and sometimes violence leading to sexual and gender diverse people unable to adequately defend themselves. The resulting depression and total loss of confidence has inevitably led people to sell their houses and in some cases leave the state. The legal process of defence for these people are a complicated and protracted involving taking out restraint orders that involve large legal costs and counter claims by the perpetrators against the victims.
Coordinator of the COP State Steering Committee Julian Punch announced that the COPP Trust has set aside four regional small grants of $500 to be matched in the local communities. The COP Trust Grants will assist the local Community Liaison Committees to work with the Police and other organisations to support victims with local cultural change strategies.
Mr Punch congratulated the Tasmanian Police in their practical response to the distressing and dislocating incidence of ‘neighbourhood ‘hate crime’.
www.comingoutproud.org
Julian Punch
Coming Out Proud Program
Email [email protected]
WEB www.comingoutproud.org
