The Crown Prosecution Service in Dyfed Powys has launched its public policy statement on homophobic crime, which spells out the way in which it deals with these offences which affect the lives of thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Simon Rowlands, Chief Crown Prosecutor for Dyfed Powys, said that locally the CPS would work closely with Dyfed Powys Police to ensure the effective implementation of this policy.

He added that the policy dealt with hate crime which could not be tolerated as it undermined the safety and security of people and led to their attack or abuse simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

"The CPS sends a clear message to those who commit such crimes that they will be dealt with firmly under criminal law," stated Mr. Rowlands. "The CPS has a vital role to play, not only in terms of its own responsibility to prosecute such cases effectively, but also to advise the police, courts and those in the voluntary sector so that those who commit homophobic crime can be dealt with robustly."

Continuing, he said that the CPS was determined, with the help of Dyfed Powys Police, to support the victims of homophobic crime through the process from reporting the crime through to trial. Such crimes, which were aggravated by prejudice, discrimination or hate, were particularly serious, and the CPS would do its utmost within the law to bring the perpetrators of such crimes before the courts.

The CPS is the first criminal justice agency to adopt a definition of a homophobic or transphobic incident which is defined as: 'Any incident which is perceived to be homophobic or transphobic by the victim or by any other person'. This definition is supported by Dyfed Powys Police which welcomes the CPS policy.

Chief Inspector Sewell, diversity officer for Dyfed Powys, said: "We welcome this public statement - which shows a common approach between the investigating and prosecuting authorities within the counties forming the Dyfed Powys Police area. By working together we hope that we can build confidence in all sections of our communities.

"We have been working together with local groups to make it easier to report hate crime - and hope that this is one more step towards building those bridges, and meeting expectations. We all hope to be able to live our lives, confident that we have fair and effective policing, robust and effective prosecution, and caring and effective support for victims and witnesses."

The policy on Homophobic and Transgender crime complements other CPS initiatives for the care of vulnerable and intimidated witnesses, and direct communication with victims, which informs victims when charges are stopped or substantially altered.