PC Joe Finch and PC Michael Hughes at the Isle of Wight College Freshers’ Fair.
CHOCOLATE peanuts and raisins have become the latest weapon in the police’s fight against hate crime.
The sweets have been used as part of the Isle of Wight force’s efforts to tackle prejudice in a special presentation for new Isle of Wight College students.
Two of the force’s lesbian and gay liaison officers (LAGLOs) ran a stall at the Freshers’ Fair earlier this month, using the sweets to get across the message you can’t judge people by their appearance.
The challenge was devised by PC Joe Finch, from the Newport Safer Neighbourhoods team, who said: "The idea was to demonstrate to the students you can’t always judge a book by its cover.
"It’s pretty much the same with people, you can’t always tell what a person’s like just by looking at them.
"The chocolate challenge is a great way to introduce ourselves to the students and get that message across."
The officers also tackled the use of the word gay,
PC Michael Hughes said: "There is a trend among some young people to use the word gay to mean something bad and many don’t realise how hurtful it can be."
As part of their role, LAGLOs are responsible for engaging with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students and encouraging them to report hate crime.
• You can follow them on Twitter @HantsPoliceLGBT
Reporter: ross.findon@iwcp.co.uk