Detectives today said there was not one specific gang targeting gay people in Liverpool city centre, amid a spate of homophobic attacks in the last month.
Alarm has grown in recent weeks following a series of serious assaults against members of the region's LGBT+ community, with the trouble sparking a large protest march on Tuesday.
Up to six attacks have been reported to police since the end of May, but senior officers have said they do not believe a specific or organised group is responsible for the violence.
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None of the six assaults are linked, officers say.
Figures released by police show that sexual orientation-related crimes were up from 63 to 103 comparing data in May 2020 to the same month this year.
April and May, 2021, have recorded the highest number of sexual orientation-related crimes for some time.
Superintendent Sarah Kenwright said: "We are doing a lot of work with the night-time economy in terms of where and when we put patrols out, we want Liverpool city centre to be a safe place for everyone.
"Sadly, we are seeing an increase in these type of incidents and there is absolutely no room for that sort of discrimination on Merseyside.
"It is positive that several arrests in relation to these incidents have been made already."
Three young people were attacked and abused with transphobic slurs on May 16.
A young woman, her girlfriend and her sister were attacked and threatened with rape and murder in Liverpool's "gay quarter" later that month.
Another gay couple was attacked by knife-wielding thugs who shouted a homophobic slur on June 11.
Two 19-year-old friends, first year Liverpool Hope University students Curtis Stewart and Josh Ormrod, who are both bisexual, were beaten only days apart in the city centre.
And another woman, 24, was assaulted in the Bold Street and Upper Newington area a week ago, as a fight broke out in the street and homophobic slurs were hurled.
Supt Kenwright added: "We are taking these attacks extremely seriously and there will be an increase in officers at key locations in the city.
"My message to the LGBT+ community is to continue to report these incidents to officers.
"They are horrific attacks on innocent members of the public.
"We want to ensure we protect all of our communities on Merseyside."
Many of those attacked have taken to social media to publicly speak of their experiences and post photographs of their injuries.
In the latest attack on the 24-year-old woman, she said: "Seeing how many gay people/lesbians it's happening to in Liverpool it's not right!
"Me and my gay mate were attacked on Bold Street, Thursday night, by two men.
"They have been arrested but it was obviously an unprovoked gay hate crime.
"We need to stand together because it's the 21st century and we are proud of who we are!"
The attacks have largely happened in Liverpool's Price month and earlier this week peaceful protesters marched through the city centre today in a major demonstration against the violence and abuse.
The Michael Causer Foundation, set up in memory of Whiston teenager Michael, who was murdered in 2008, said: "While our city region has always been welcoming and supportive of our truly diverse culture, these most recent events show we cannot be complacent in tackling homophobic attacks on our community."
Anyone with information on the incident on Thursday morning, or on hate crime anywhere on Merseyside, is asked to contact Merseyside Police via their social media desk on Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ with reference 21000425496.
You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.
