1. Hate Crime Awareness Adrian Symonds Equality and Diversity Advisor

2. Hate Crime
Hatred is a strong term that goes beyond simply causing offence or hostility.
Hate Crime is any criminal offence committed against a person or property that is motivated by an offender's prejudice or hatred of someone because of their differences.
Allow 5 mins
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3. Differences (Protected Characteristics) recognised in Law
Age
Disability
Gender Reassignment
Marriage and Civil Partnership
Race
Religion or Belief
Sex
Sexual Orientation

4. Differences (Protected Characteristics) recognised for Hate Crime
race or perceived race (including nationality, national origin, ethnic origin, race and colour)
religion or perceived religion / lack of religion
sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation
disability or perceived disability
transgender or perceived transgender identity
Plus
individual characteristics that makes someone appear different eg alternative lifestyle, culture, physical appearance and style of address

5. Government definition of a Hate Crime
Hate Crime involves any criminal offence which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a personal characteristic. Hate Crime can be motivated by disability, gender identity, race, religion or faith and sexual orientation

6. What could be a Hate Crime ?
physical attacks – such as physical assault, damage to property, offensive graffiti, neighbour disputes and arson
threat of attack – including offensive letters, abusive or obscene telephone calls or other IT technology, groups hanging around to intimidate and unfounded, malicious complaints
verbal abuse or insults - offensive leaflets and posters, abusive gestures, dumping of rubbish outside homes or through letterboxes, and bullying at school or in the workplace

7. Hate Incidents
Any incident, which may or may not constitute a criminal offence, which is perceived by the victim or any other person, as being motivated by prejudice or hate.

8. What could be a Hate Incident?
Verbal abuse
Name calling
Nuisance phone calls
Antisocial behaviour

9. The Law
The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 created a number of new racially and religiously aggravated offences 
The Criminal Justice Act 2003 introduced tougher sentences for offences motivated by hatred of the victim’s sexual orientation (this must now be taken into account by the sentencing court as an aggravating factor, in addition to race or religious hate motivation).

10. The Law
The Racial and Religious Hatred Act (2007) made it a criminal offence to use threatening words or behaviour with the intention of stirring up hatred against any group of people because of their religious beliefs or their lack of religious beliefs
A Policy for Prosecuting Cases of Disability Hate Crimes launched by CPS in February 2007 and took effect from 1st April 2007.

11. Homophobic attacks
Michael Causer an 18 year old gay man died a week after he was savagely beaten in a homophobic attack (2008).
Gay motive likely for murder
Two men sentenced to life imprisonment for killing Jodie Dobrowski, who was beaten to death in a homophobic attack (2005).

12. Racial attacks
Stephen Lawrence, 18, was stabbed to death in a racist attack as he waited for a bus in Eltham, South London, on April 22, 1993.
Only recently have the offenders been brought to justice. This is after two high profile court cases.

13. Racist Attack on Travellers
Moore Street Dublin on Sunday 27/07/08. A family of Romany Gypsies walked past a group of Irish teenage girls who shouted abuse.
As the Gypsies responded verbally one teenage girl found a chair and ran after the Gypsies hitting the woman pictured from behind. The woman tries to protect her baby wrapped in her arms in blankets.

14. Disability Related Attack
May 2006, Thames Valley Sean Miles, a man with autism, was murdered and robbed by friends. He was beaten, knifed in the head and then drowned in the Thames amid allegations that he was a paedophile. The jury had heard how the killers watched as Mr Miles floundered in the river. He was poked with a stick to stop him getting out before he drowned.

15. Disability Hate Crime - Fiona Pilkington
Fiona Pilkington killed herself and her severely disabled daughter Francecca Hardwick in 2007 after years of torment by youths
Fiona Pilkington and her family had contacted police more than 30 times during the 10-year ordeal.

16. Disability Hate Crime - Fiona Pilkington
An inquest two years later heard how the family had been kept virtual prisoners in their home by youths who threw stones, flour and other objects, and kept up a relentless stream of abuse. The jury ruled that failings by police contributed to the deaths, as did the failure of Leicestershire county council and Hinckley and Bosworth borough council to share information.
The case prompted concern that many police forces were failing to properly identify hate crimes motivated by disability and thus treating them as low-priority antisocial behaviour.

17. Disability Hate Crime - Fiona Pilkington
An Independent Police Complaints Commission report into Leicestershire Police’s dealings with Pilkington concluded that the main failure was in not identifying the family as vulnerable, which meant police did not provide a structured, cohesive response to the prolonged antisocial behaviour they endured.

18. Hate Crime – Alternative Lifestyle
Murder of Sophie Lancaster in 2007
The victim and her boyfriend were attacked by a number of males in their mid-teens while walking through a park in Lancashire.
As a result of her severe head injuries she went into a coma, never regained consciousness, and died thirteen days later.
Believed that the attack may have been linked to the couple wearing gothic fashion and being members of the Goth subculture.

19. Hate Crime – Alternative Lifestyle
At the time this crime did not fall into one of the existing Hate Crime categories
In April 2013 Greater Manchester Police announced that they would officially begin to record offences committed against goths and other alternative groups, as Hate Crimes.
Warwickshire and West Mercia Police also record “Alternative Lifestyle” Hate Crimes.
An alternative lifestyle is a lifestyle diverse in respect to mainstream ones, or generally perceived to be outside the cultural norm.

20. Hate Crimes in West Mercia (as of 02/10/2016)
OFFENCES
YTM
YTM (last year)
% change
Racial
449
332
35.2%
Religion/Faith 13 15
-13.3%
Disability 22 29
-24.1%
Sexual Orientation 84 51
64.7%
Transgender 12 11
9.1%
Alternative Culture/Lifestyle 20
-35.0%
TOTAL MARKERS APPLIED:
593
458

21. Hate Incidents in West Mercia (as of 02/10/2016)
CRIMED INCIDENTS
YTM
YTM (last year)
% change
Racial 64 67
-4.5%
Religion/Faith 1  3
-66.7%
Disability 11 9
22.2%
Sexual Orientation 17 12
41.7%
Transgender 4 2
100.0%
Alternative Culture/Lifestyle 3
200.0%
TOTAL MARKERS APPLIED:
100 94

22. Hate Crimes in South Worcs (as of 02/10/2016)
OFFENCES
YTM
YTM (last year)
% change
Racial
124
100
24.0%
Religion/Faith 1 7
-85.7%
Disability 9 6
50.0%
Sexual Orientation 28 8
250.0%
Transgender 2
Prejudice: Alternative Culture/Lifestyle 4
-100.0%
TOTAL MARKERS APPLIED:
164
125

23. Hate Incidents in South Worcs (as of 02/10/2016)
CRIMED INCIDENTS
YTM
YTM (last year)
% change
Racial 9 18
-50.0%
Religion/Faith 1
-100.0%
Disability 5
400.0%
Sexual Orientation 4
300.0%
Transgender  1
Prejudice: Alternative Culture/Lifestyle
TOTAL MARKERS APPLIED: 19 21

24. Reporting a Hate Crime In an emergency ring 999
If it is not an emergency ring 101
Call at your local police station
Speak to a Police Officer or Police Community Support Officer
Call Crimestoppers on

25. Reporting a Hate Crime
Use ‘Contact Us’ on West Mercia website
Report online to True Vision at
Call at a Third Party Hate Crime Reporting Centre

26. Further Hate Crime Training

27. Thank you for listening
Do you have any questions?