The Guelph Police Service has launched a new program that seeks to offer a secure location for victims of hate-motivated crimes to safely report to police and get the shelter and assistance they need.
The Safe Place program was modelled on a similar program developed by Peel Regional Police. It was recently brought to Guelph Police Service by const. Abigail Campbell, the department’s new liaison to the LGBTQIA2S+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, asexual and two-spirit) community.
A participating business or organization can place a specially-designed Safe Place sticker in its front window to notify members of the LGBTQIA2S+ that it is a safe space to enter and will provide shelter and assistance if they are victim to a hate-related crime or other incident.
“It’s more than just a sticker to people like me and from the LGBTQ community,” said Campbell. “It lets them know the business and residents is a support system for them and there are people there to make sure they are safe.”
Businesses and organizations that sign up must pledge to post the sticker in the front window, as well as provide training to its employees and volunteers and instruct them to assist any victims or witnesses involved in anti-LGBTQIA2S+ crimes or incidents by helping them to call police, or by calling police on their behalf. It must also provide victims or witnesses with shelter and safety until police arrive.
“I want them to know this is a safe place to be and that they can trust the police here and that we are on their side and we are going to advocate for them and keep our community safe,” she said.
So far about 60 businesses and organizations have signed up for the program.
Campbell said part of her role as liaison is to build trust with a community that may have had a strained relationship with police in the past or even the present.
“I am helping to bridge a gap to let people know we have someone like me within our service that can be a show of support and be someone they can come to in confidence if they want to report a hate-motivated crime,” she said. “They shouldn’t be afraid of speaking to a police officer or be afraid of someone not believing what someone may be telling them happened and come to us in a time of need.”
Staff sgt. Carrie Gale oversees the department’s diversity, equity and inclusion committee and helped develop the liaison program for the Black, Indigenous, LGBT and Muslim/Sikh/Hindu communities.
Gale said the Safe Place program is one of the first of many she hopes are developed through the committee. It is similar to a program with the same name that was launched in 2018 by Peel Regional Police.
“If anybody has been a victim of a hate crime or in any sort of need, that this is a safe place, non-judgmental and totally inclusive,” said Gale of the program. “You can come in, shelter, call police, whatever you need.”
Last year, all members of the Guelph Police Service completed gender bias training. Campbell said she wants to bridge the gap of understanding not only between the police and LGBTQIA2S+ community, but also helping to inform other members within the service.
“The service is dedicated to making sure all of its service members are aware of hate-motivated crimes, how to investigate them and obviously I am here to support them in any way I can,” said Campbell.
