Gay people in Oxfordshire are being urged to report homophobic crimes to police after figures show almost 90 per cent have suffered abuse but most do not report it.
The figures form part of a report into homophobic crime which reveals gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are experiencing high levels of harrassment and violence.
Many do not report incidents because they see it as a normal occurrence, according to the report by Oxford University researcher Somjen Frazer.
The study quizzed 234 gay people in Oxfordshire and found nearly 90 per cent have experienced a homophobic incident in their lifetime, while 28 per cent have been the victim of a homophobic violent crime.
Only seven per cent of incidents of verbal abuse were reported.
Twenty-seven per cent of violent homophobic incidents were reported compared with 62 per cent of regular violent incidents.
According to police, the low rates of reporting make it difficult for them to address issues of homophobic crime.
Thames Valley Police has said that all uniformed officers are trained to deal with homophobic crime and wants victims to report any incidents to them.
The report has been described by police as one of the most thorough pieces of research into homophobic crime in Britain.
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