LOCAL police action following the Soho bomb attack was praised at a meeting of a new group set up to help the police tackle homophobic crime.

The Forum, a voice for the lesbian and gay community, meets every six weeks at the Garden Bar, St James' Street, Burnley.

The group discusses issues relevant to the community in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale with the agenda being set by those attending the meeting.

Chaired by Coun Tony Harrison, the Forum aims to give gay and lesbian people a chance to air their views, discuss incidents direct with police officers who attend the meetings, provide support for members and tackle personal issues such as coming out.

The Forum praised the prompt police action which followed the Soho bomb which targeted the gay and lesbian community in London. A high profile poster and advice was immediately circulated in the hours after the bomb exploded killing three people. A new policy was introduced by Lancashire Police last month to encourage homophobic crimes to be reported to the police. Self-reporting forms have been printed so crimes can be recorded and investigated.

At the meeting Inspector Geoff Lee reported two so far undetected homophobic incidents, a burglary in Colne and an assault in Burnley. Police were aware of a further incident through a self-reporting forms.

Tony said: "It is not my experience that society is homophobic and I think most under 30s have no fears about gay and lesbian issues.

"We don't want to formalise our meetings too much because we want the people attending to set the agenda, but we need to establish ourselves who we can speak as a united group and community while still respecting each member as an individual."

The next Forum meeting will be on June 28 at the Garden Bar at 7pm. Anyone who wants to know more about the group can contact Tony on 01282 455722 or the Garden Bar 01282 414895.

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