A new centre for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people to report crime or harassment to gardai was unveiled today by Minister for Justice Michael McDowell.
The service, which will be based at Outhouse one Capel Street in Dublin, will involve specially trained Garda gay-liaison officers attending once every two weeks to assist gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in taking reports of crimes as well as offering crime prevention and other advice.
The drop-in service forms part of a broader Garda Strategy to provide a better service to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.
The gardaí hope the new service will encourage more people from that community to report crime or harassment.
Last month, a survey found that more than four out of 10 gay people have experienced verbal or physical abuse because of their sexuality.
Only one in five victims reported the attack to the Garda, with the majority reporting no confidence in the force, or considering a complaint to be pointless.
The new centre is being set up as part of the Garda "Be Proud - Be Safe" campaign in partnership with the Gay, Lesbian, Equality Network.