Vital anchor

It is sad you centred on Nick Ross' fee as opposed to his high calibre and pivotal input into what was essentially a very successful and memorable event.

The AVI is a ground-breaking and innovative initiative designed to tackle the crisis of confidence felt in specific marginalised communities and the hate crimes perpetrated against them, namely homophobic, racist and domestic violence crimes.

The AVI is a partnership of the police and those communities or organisations such as the Safety Forum for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual community, Domestic Violence Forum, Racial Harassment Forum, Victim Support and other vital partners. We have all contributed and invested effort to tackle and eradicate the evil of hate crimes.

The launch was meant not only to publicise the very coming into being of the unit and its dedicated staff but also to give effect to the very essence of the AVI as a means of instilling confidence in the communities and, ultimately, to achieve increased reporting and eventual eradication of hate crimes.

Nick Ross was billed as a vital anchor not only to obtain a high profile for such a launch but equally to deliver the message in a constructive and effective manner. That task he achieved admirably as far as we are concerned.

I consider his fee to indeed be cost-effective and worth every penny. His contribution is beyond reproach.

-Dan Ibekwe, Chairman, Brighton and Hove Racial Harassment Forum