LGBT venues sign up to ‘safe space’ drop in areas

Brighton & Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum (LGBT CSF) team up with local businesses to create ‘Safe Space’ drop in areas in the ‘gay village’.

The LGBT CSF have announced a new initiative to create ‘Safe Space’ reporting areas within the LGBT Village in the St James Street area of Kemptown.

The team of eight elected community volunteers have been working with local businesses over the past few months to implement the initiative.

Anyone who experiences a hate crime or incident while out and about in Brighton and Hove can go into one of the participating venues and either receive information to help them report the crime or be assisted in contacting the police directly.

This along with a new online LGBT CSF reporting form will enable a victim to submit information anonymously or with advocacy via the LGBT CSF, Report It Project, directly to the police.

Report It was set up in 2013 by the LGBT CSF and was initially funded with a grant from the Police Crime Commissioners Safer in Sussex Community Fund.

Venues agreeing to be part of the ‘Safe Space’ initiative so far include:

♦ Charles Street Bar

♦ The Queens Arms

♦ The New Steine Hotel

♦ Legends Bar and Hotel

♦ Revenge

♦ Bar Revenge

Billie Lewis, elected Chair of the Brighton and Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum said: “I am really pleased that this project is now taking place. As volunteers we have worked tirelessly to make this happen. It has been made very clear to us that the community want more support in reporting hate crime and we intend to deliver on that. We will be available to assist a victim in presenting their complaint to the police or presenting it on their behalf anonymously. 

“We are aware that some licensed premises are cautious about calling the police to their venues, but we have reassurance from the police that the station/call centre will be made aware of any establishments taking part in the project and this will flag up when a call is made so as not to affect the statistics on the licensed premises.”

The Brighton & Hove LGBT CSF is an established independent LGBT forum of eight elected unpaid volunteers working with the LGBT Community to address and improve safety and access issues throughout Brighton & Hove. They have no paid workers.

They undertake cultural, educational and social safety community activities and all LGBT community/inclusion and accessibility initiatives.

The LGBT Community Safety Forum was formed to give the community a much-needed voice on a wide range of safety issues in Brighton and Hove.

They exist to act as a bridge between the LGBT community and statutory service providers such as Brighton & Hove City Council and Sussex Police and to enable there to be more accountability and transparency of the services provided to all LGBT people in the city.

The Brighton & Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum hold quarterly public meetings. The next one is on Wednesday, February 10, 2016.

For more information, click here: www.lgbt-help.com

Businesses can sign up to participate in the ‘Safe Place’ initiative by calling Billie Lewis on 07827 811454 or by emailing info@lgbt-help.com