A CHARITY claims there is a lack of support for the LGBT community when they become victims of domestic abuse.

But Bolton is ahead of the game, say council chiefs, after three focus groups in the town met last week following a special report in The Bolton News.

The meetings were arranged by the LGBT Foundation after we reported how homophobic abuse had more than doubled in Bolton in the space of a year.

Bolton Council and police asked for the work to be carried out in part because of the closure of some LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) societies.

Now police have launched a campaign — There is No Pride in Domestic Abuse — alongside charity Broken Rainbow.

Bolton is hosting its first ever Pride weekend in October, and police launched their campaign before Manchester's Pride event last weekend.

Police want the campaign to encourage victims to come forward safe in the knowledge that their concerns will be heeded.

Cllr Derek Burrows, cabinet member for community safety, said: "We have gone out and asked people in this community to take part and get involved. Then we can obviously see what needs to be done.

“We already do a lot of work with the LGBT community to make the town as safe as possible.

“It is something we take very seriously in Bolton, and you could argue we are ahead of the game with this, and applaud the police for this campaign.”

“There has been some real progress in tackling hate crimes in recent years but there is still more to do and we are committed to working with our BeSafe partners and wider stakeholders to ensure we play our part in delivering a better service to victims of homophobic hate crime.”

Jo Harvey-Barringer, managing director of Broken Rainbow, said: "Although there are a number of similarities to women experiencing abuse in heterosexual relationships — the psychological, sexual, physical and financial violence and abuse — the main difference is the lack of support services available, particularly from statutory services.

“Last year we had over 6,500 points of contact from LGBT individuals from across the UK looking for help and support, often reporting a negative experience from the police."

Posters featuring same-sex couples and the strapline ‘there is no pride in domestic abuse’ will be displayed and shared on social media.

Det Ch Supt Vanessa Jardine said: “The sad reality is that domestic abuse affects everyone, including men and women from the LGBT community.

“Members of the LGBT community face a number of barriers when reporting this crime which is why it’s important that our campaign breaks down the gender stereotype and gives victims the voice and strength to speak out."

Bolton's police and crime commissioner Tony Lloyd said: “This campaign should bring hope to LGBT people who live under the cloud of domestic violence, encouraging them to come forward and get the help they need to break the cycle of abuse.”

Results and findings from the focus groups, held in Bolton on August 21, 22 and 24, as well as online survey which closed in July, will be revealed in the next few weeks.