Agenda item

To consider a report of the PCC.

The PCC submitted a report which set out the issues and processes around Hates Crime and Hate Issues.

There were lots of challenges around separating Hate Crimes from Hate Issues. Reference was made to the changing face of such crimes which also occurred on-line, crimes which were enabled by technology.

A Hate Crime was any criminal offence which was perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated by a hostility or prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation, disability and if the person is transgender.

A Hate Incident was defined as any non-crime incident perceived by the victim to be motivated by race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, disability, or transgender.

The Panel was informed that with limited resources, there were lots of offences which possibly should be investigated by the Police, however, there were some incidents which were a challenge. For example, social media such as Twitter, Facebook etc.

Members’ Questions

1.             In the Hate Crime Outcome Types in the report and in the prosecutions presented, there were no crimes under S29 – S32 of the Crime and Disorder Act. These were classed as crimes such as Hate Crimes on Social Media.

[The PCC replied that these were offences in their own right. Threats to Kill would be taken seriously but this was a real challenging area. There needed to be a better triage system.

There were some horrific harassment on social media and it was a difficult area to police. Reference was made to those who serve in public life who do receive “hate” mail. There needed to be system put in place to protect the real victims and to give the Police the option to say no to certain incidents. There could be a system where investigations would take place and words of advice could be issued which could be placed on an individual’s record.]

2.             What does the PCC see the impact of misogyny on policing being added as a hate crime?

[The PCC replied that there could be difficulty identifying misogyny, such as in Domestic Violence cases and it would be difficult to police and recording such crimes / incidents  could be problematic.] 

3.             How does social media/technology impact on the number of incidents of hate crimes or incidents? Is there specific training given to officers for this?

[The PCC replied that this was a difficult area and, in his opinion, social media should not be policed by the Police. However, training was available to officers including call handlers.]

4.             Reference was made to Non-Hate Crimes or Incidents which were recorded but which were not classed as being a criminal record.

[The PCC replied that Hate Incidents were recorded but they did not constitute a person having a criminal record. The importance of education and schools having a part to play, in instilling into young people acceptable standards of behaviour.]

5.             The PCC was asked for a breakdown of faith-based Hate Crimes as this would be useful information for local authorities to have.

[The PCC said he would check whether there was a breakdown on faith-based Hate Crimes and if there was, he would circulate the information.]

RESOLVED -    That the report of the PCC, together with the responses to the issues raised by the Panel be noted.