APCC Hate Crime Lead responds to HMICFRS Report
Responding to the publication of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire and Rescue Services’ (HMICFRS) report ‘Understanding the difference – the initial police response to hate crime’, Hardyal Dhindsa, the APCC Lead on Hate Crime, said:
“Crimes motivated by hate and prejudice are extremely damaging, for both victims and for the fabric of our communities. I welcome this report for identifying both current good practice in forces to combat this crime type, and the next steps we must take.
“The report indicates that forces which put structured measures in place to tackle hate crime achieve higher rates of victim satisfaction. I believe that improving victims’ experience of reporting crimes can only help to improve communities’ confidence in policing, so I look forward to helping share the examples of good practice highlighted in the report.
“The report underlines that further work is needed to ensure that all police officers and staff across England and Wales can feel confident in dealing with hate crime, whilst improvements are also needed in data recording. Driving progress on recording over the coming years will be key, to gain a clearer picture of what is going on nationally.
“I look forward to working with colleagues at the National Police Chiefs’ Council, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire and Rescue of Services, the Home Office and other bodies, to share good practice and drive further progress, so that together we can ensure that our forces are fully equipped to tackle hate crime head-on.”