Crime falls in Hackney, but Homophobia on the rise

Well, the new Crime Map may have made Stoke Newington look

like something out of Grand Theft Auto, but recent reports show that crime in

Hackney as a whole is actually at its lowest for over a decade. Stoke Newington

Police and our other local teams deserve some serious praise as robbery against

individuals and burglary have more than halved in the past ten years in the

borough, and robbery against businesses has fallen by eight per cent last year

alone. There was a ten per cent reduction in reports of crimes motivated by

racial or religious hatred, but perhaps surprisingly a rise in homophobic

crime. What’s that all about?

With Hackney’s very own Stoke Newington Secondary School

making national headlines as leaders in LBGT-friendly teaching, and popular

bars such as Dalston Superstore, Oak Bar and Blush embracing the gay scene, it

seems odd to see figures that suggest a rise in homophobia in the area. There

are now at least seven venues around here that are either specifically focused

on all things LBGT or that lay on regular nights dedicated to the scene. So

perhaps it is the heightened presence of the gay community that’s triggered the

rise in attacks, rather than growing homophobia. What do people think? Has

anyone experienced a rise in hostility towards them for their sexuality?

Photograph courtesy of Ewan-M at Flickr