Devon & Cornwall
crime & community safety
Devon & Cornwall Police
Their website is http://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk. Their main switchboard is 08452 777444. In an emergency, especially where life is at risk, simply phone 999.
Devon and Cornwall Police made massive advances between 1998 and 2006, and were in our view at one point within reaching distance of being one of the lead police forces in the country for combating homophobia and transphobia.
We know Devon & Cornwall Constabulary have written some good policies (e.g. on Equality of Service to LGB/T people,and on Sexual Behaviour in Public Places), but we can't find them all on their website. Talking of which, we strongly resist the discriminatory terminology used on their website: LGB/T people are supposed to recognise ourselves under the heading "Race and Diversity", for crying out loud! But that's a barrier they share with many police and other criminal justice websites. For more about this awful phrase, have a look at our Campaigns page.
Local Diversity Officers
Devon and Cornwall Police are generally very good when it comes to Diversity Officers. The quality of service is not consistently excellent in all districts, but it's been hard to achieve consistency across a very large policing area. Consistency of service across the whole of Devon and Cornwall is one of the key action points identified by the Police Liaison Group.
Diversity Officers are not themselves necessarily LGB or Trans (some are, some aren't), but it is their job to deal with phobic and other prejudice-related incidents, and increase LGB and Trans people's trust and confidence in the police service. Many work very closely with LGB and Trans community groups or community workers.
The Diversity Officers work in what's called the Diverse Communities Units.
You can contact your local Diverse Communities Unit in Devon & Cornwall as follows:
Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
e-mail: ciosdiversity (at) devonandcornwall.pnn.police.uk
Phone: (01209) 611243
post:
Diverse Communities Team
Redruth Police Station
Trecarrel Drump Road
Redruth
Kerrier TR15 1LU
Plymouth
e-mail: plymouthdiversity (at) devonandcornwall.pnn.police.uk
Phone: (01752) 676944 and 676945
post:
Diverse Communities Team
2nd Floor
Charles Cross Police Station
Hampton Street
Plymouth PL4 8HG
S & W Devon
e-mail: swddiversity (at) devonandcornwall.pnn.police.uk
(This e-mail address is for all of South and West Devon --- more local contacts are as below)
South Hams, Teignbridge, West Devon
Phone: (01364) 651751 and 651752
post:
Diverse Communities Team
Ashburton Police Station
23 Eastern Road
Ashburton
Devon
TQ13 7AP
Torbay
Phone: (01803) 841581
post:
Diverse Communities Team
Torquay Police Station
South Street
TQ2 5AH
N & E Devon (Mid, Northern & East Devon and Exeter)
e-mail: neddiversity (at) devonandcornwall.pnn.police.uk
Phone (Northern Devon): 01271 313417
post:
Diverse Communities Team
Barnstaple Police Station
North Walk
Barnstaple
EX31 1DU
Phone (East and Mid-Devon):
[post vacant, July 2007: contact Barnstaple, above, or Exeter, below, for the time being]
Phone (Exeter): (01392) 451764
post:
Diverse Communities Team
Heavitree Road Police Station
Exeter
EX1 2LR
All these deal with local issues as they arise. The Force Diversity Unit at Headquarters has a strategic and policy role. The Force Diversity Manager acts as Head of Profession for all the local Diversity Officers. To contact the Force Diversity Unit at Headquarters phone the central switchboard on 08452 777444 and ask for the Force Diversity Unit.
Consultation and community partnerships
The most important single interface between Devon and Cornwall Police as a whole and the LGB/T communities is the Police Liaison Group, whic has its own web-pages here.
Outside the Police Liaison Group, a lot of day-to-day policy and strategy work is done in partnership with local LGB/T community groups such as the Eddystone Trust and Plymouth Pride Forum, Western Boys, and Intercom. These and others have a lot of experience in responding to crime-related issues and have developed strong community-safety skills.
Another important interface between LGB/T people and the entire Criminal Justice System in Devon and Cornwall could be the Diversity Sub-Group of the Devon & Cornwall Local Criminal Justice Board. Have a look at our Criminal Justice System page for more information.
Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnerships
When it comes to preventing phobic crime, we have to look at the local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships ("the CDRPs"). There is one of these for each local government district. They include local government, the police, health, probation, the drug and alcohol action team, and other public authorities. They have not been very active on phobic crime issues, so far, but we believe this may be about to change, at least in Devon, because the Safer Devon Partnership has recently given the local CDRPs a strong lead on these issues. We also believe there will be a positive effect from the very important new Regulations prohibiting indirect and direct discrimination in the provision of goods and services (came into force on 30 April 2007, and high time too).
One of the problems with CDRPs has always been that very few LGB and Trans people are abe to get involved in their work on behalf of the communities. (Of course there is often at least one LGB/T person sitting at the table, representing one of the public authorities, though their closet door is firmly---and in some local government districts very understandably---shut fast.) Another problem is that even where an LGB/T person is able to participate as themselves, it is very hard to get the relevant issues and needs prioritised by all the public authorities to the point where something is actually achieved. We do encounter what is most politely called "resistance".
To find out more about what your local CDRP is doing, or not doing, contact Intercom.