Police in Kingston are inviting members of the borough’s LGBTQ+ community to speak to police at a walk and talk event at Canbury Gardens next month.
The event is running from 11am to 1pm on 5 August outside Canbury Secret Cafe and is the first of a series being put on by the Met Police’s south west division, as they aim to hear and address concerns and queries from the community.
Acting Police Sergeant Steve Hales, who works in Kingston said: “Please do come and meet us for a chat. We’re here to speak about any of your concerns, how to report crime, your rights as a victim or your concerns about the police.
“We’re here to meet all of our community. So whether you’re LGBTQ+, thinking of joining the police or have concerns about your local police, we’re happy to tell you what’s going on internally, what you can expect as a victim or anything else you might want to speak about.”
The Met flagged that LGBTQ+ individuals are not only more likely to become victims of hate crime than many other groups, but are also less likely to report those crimes.
The event is led by the Met’s LGBTQ+ advisors, who are police officers working locally who are LGBTQ+ themselves or advocates for the community.
The Met sees it as an opportunity to let these advisors hear from Kingston residents on how its staff and organisation can improve and hopes that it will become a regular event.
Tickets are not required, for more information or to express interest in attending click here.
Featured image credit: AndyScott via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0 license
