A major bid to crack down on racist and homophobic crimes was launched today.

Brighton and Hove has been given £1.2 million, the largest amount outside London, to tackle the problem.

An anti-victimisation unit has been set up and will involve the police, council and minority rights groups.

It will encourage people to report racist attacks as well as assaults on gay and lesbian people.

It will also deal with domestic violence, with input from Victim Support and the Women's Refuge.

The initiative will run from mid-November and will employ 30 people.

Brighton's police chief, Superintendent Andy Bliss, said: "We have a superb opportunity to make a real impact on hate crime and domestic violence in Brighton and Hove.

"Crimes of this kind blight so many lives and until now have remained largely unreported.

"Victims feel they do not have the confidence to report what has happened to them, or the expectation that offenders will be caught.

"By setting up this unit we hope to assure people that something is actively being done to address their fears and concerns."

The unit's police team will consist of 11 officers and a probation officer and will be led by Detective Inspector Graham Bartlett.

It is currently advertising for staff in newspapers and specialist publications, including the Pink Paper and The Voice.

Mr Bartlett said: "We aim to provide not only a dedicated investigative team, but also staff fully trained in victim support."

Over the next few months there will be campaigns to raise awareness of the initiative, as well as building stronger links with minority communities.

James Leward, of the Lesbian and Gay Community Safety Forum, said: "There is no one group in the gay and lesbian community which deals with this kind of work.

"It is very important that we work together with the police and other agencies to tackle these issues."

Ann Girdharry, of the Racial Harassment Forum, said: "One of the recommendations after the Stephen Lawrence inquiry was that initiatives should be set up to find ways of reducing racial crimes.

"Setting up an initiative such as this will help to address those problems as well as reduce the fear of crime against minority communities."