A POLICE boss has urged victims of crimes against transgender people to come forward and report incidents.

Tony Lloyd, Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner, issued the plea after last week's International Transgender Day of Remembrance.

Mr Lloyd said: “Nobody should have to face the prospect of hatred, murder or violence simply for being who they are. This is a brutal wrong that has no place in our society.

“Here in Greater Manchester we live in communities that – for the most part – are tolerant and rightly place great value on the rich make-up and diversity of our region.

"This event gives us an opportunity to show solidarity with trans people and demonstrates that we shall continue pushing for tolerance, peace and equality for all.”

He added: “Trans hate crime is still massively underreported and I urge the trans community to please report any such incidents to the police or via a third-party hate crime reporting centre.

"Through zero tolerance of hatred and ignorance, we can start to change attitudes and behaviours for the better."

To report a hate crime: contact the police on 101 or dial 999 where there’s a threat to life or a crime in progress; call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111; or report it online at www.report-it.org.uk/home

Hate crimes can also be relayed at a third party reporting centre. These are independent, non-police centres that allow people to report incidents in complete confidence. Third party reporting centres locally can be located at www.gmpcc.org.uk/hatecrime