A SENIOR police officer said she hopes the falling level of homophobic hate crime does not represent loss of confidence in policing.
PSNI Chief Superintendent Emma Bond acknowledged concerns about under-reporting during a special policing event at Ulster University as part of the Pride festival in Belfast.
She said the crime was concentrated within urban areas with night time economies. Most incidents involved violence, assaults or other offences against the person.
Homophobia represents around a tenth of all hate crime.
Out of more than 1,000 hate crimes reported last year, 163 involved homophobia and another 17 surrounded trans-gender issues.
Ms Bond said police were working really hard to address issues around hate crime.
"We would hope that is having a degree of success. I do believe that we need to be doing more from the preventative point of view. We are dealing with and reacting to incidents being reported to us," she said.
She said crime trends fluctuated and levels of transphobic hate crime had increased over the last 12 months.
Ms Bond urged those with concerns to report them to police.
Officers will be free to march at this Saturday's Pride parade in Belfast.
Ms Bond added: "It is a opportunity to reinforce the message and show our commitment to having it investigated, being visible, doing outreach and engaging directly."
She said none of the officers taking part were being paid for their time.
A couple of vehicles have been painted with Pride messaging and Ms Bond said that cost just over £500.
"It is public money but we feel that is an investment as part of supporting that visible presence, to show that hate crime is wrong."
Meanwhile, a Primark window display supporting Belfast's Pride Week has divided opinion.
The shop's support of the LGBTQ community caused some upset but the store said it was is standing by its display.
The DUP's Jim Wells said people in Northern Ireland had strong Christian convictions and "feel extremely uneasy about the whole ethos of the Gay Pride week and therefore you're discouraging them from shopping in Primark".
Elsewhere, Sinn Féin has condemned a DUP move to block a decision to fly a rainbow flag on civil buildings for Pride events.
Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council won praise after it passed a motion to raise the rainbow flag for the first time.
The DUP blocked the move, however, using a 'call in' procedure, which means legal advice must be sought through the chief executive's office and discussed at the next council meeting.
Sinn Féin group leader Darren McNally said it was "disgraceful and disrespectful".
