APCC Responds to Hate Crime Figures and Home Office Hate Crime Action Plan
In response to the publication today of the statistical bulletin on Hate Crime in England and Wales (more info), and the refresh of the government’s hate crime action plan (more info), the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) Lead on Hate Crime, PCC Hardyal Dhindsa, said the following:
“Crimes motivated by hate and prejudice are extremely damaging, for both victims and for the fabric of our society.
“New statistics, released today, show that the total number of hate incidents reached 94,098, from April 2017 to March this year – that’s a rise of 17%. Whilst increases are largely down to improvements in police recording, concerningly the statistics state that the sharp increase of religious hate crimes – by 40% – are attributable to an actual rise, following the terrorist attacks of 2017; and shockingly, according to the experimental statistics published this year, over half of all religious hate crimes where the victim’s religion was recorded were targeted against Muslims.
“Therefore, I welcome the refresh of the Home Office Hate Crime Action Plan for providing a way forward to counteract these trends. Particularly, I welcome the proposed roundtable on antisemitism and Islamophobia to be chaired by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Home Secretary. As the PCC leading on this area nationally I would welcome the opportunity to participate in these, to reflect concerns about hate crime felt by the communities across England and Wales that PCCs are elected to represent. I was additionally pleased to read that the Home Office is committed to working alongside the APCC to promote awareness of third-party reporting centres, which enable victims of hate crimes to report incidents in locations away from police stations.
“I and my Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) colleagues are committed to continuing to work alongside local and national partners to help eradicate these dreadful crimes and the negative impact they have on victims, their families and the wider community. Many PCCs are already piloting innovative ways of tackling hate crime, including ways to encourage victims to come forward and report incidents, as well as provide them with support. For example, as covered in the refresh, in Derbyshire I have commissioned the charity REMEDI to provide restorative justice solutions to hate crime incidents, which enable victims to come face-to-face with perpetrators to explain the impact the crime has had on them and find a sense of closure. Meanwhile, in Sussex and London, digital technology has been harnessed to provide bespoke support functions to victims of hate crime who report through the Self-Evident app.
“I strongly believe that our differences make us stronger and it is our differences that make life interesting. That is why we must stand together to say #NO2HATE.”
Notes for Editors
- Hardyal Dhindsa is the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) national lead on Hate Crime and the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Derbyshire.
- This year for Hate Crime Awareness Week, Hardyal Dhindsa is leading on the Big Link Up campaign, incorporating the #NO2HATE. More information can found on the Derbyshire OPCC website here.
- More information on National Hate Crime Awareness Week 2018 can be found on the Stop Hate UK website here.