Pledge your support to end hate crime

WARWICKSHIRE Police are urging people to pledge their commitment to tackling hate crime as part of Hate Crime Awareness Week which runs from 8th to 15th October.

During the week members of Warwickshire’s Community Safety Partnerships will be taking pledge boards out to a series of events and asking people to sign them.

The boards affirm that those signing will not tolerate hate crime, they will report it if they see it and will to talk to any victims of hate crime that they encounter about reporting the offence.

Anyone can sign the pledge by attending one of a number of events taking place across Warwickshire.

People can also take the pledge by sharing or liking it on the Warwickshire Police Facebook page or tweeting their commitment to tackling hate crime using the hashtag #EndHateCrime.

During 2015/16 there were 498 recorded hate crimes across the county, representing 1.6 per cent of all crime in Warwickshire.

Of these, a total of 63 per cent were religiously or racially motivated, with a small proportion (nine per cent) resulting in physical harm or assault.

Warwickshire schools also reported 90 hate incidents to the local authority, the majority of which related to derogatory name calling.

Research carried out in 2014 by Birmingham University estimated that hate crime in the county is significantly under-reported, by perhaps as much as 50 per cent.

Chief superintendent Lee Davenport, hate crime lead for Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police, said: “We know that hate crimes are underreported and we all have a role to play in tackling the problem and encouraging victims to come forward to report their ordeal.

“Whilst the low number of incidents reported to us would suggest that we do not have a significant hate crime problem in the area, it is sad that people still feel that it is acceptable to victimise people because of who they are. By signing this pledge, people are making the commitment to stand up to these people and making it clear that their behaviour will not be accepted.”

Councillor John Horner, Warwickshire County Council's Portfolio Holder for Community Safety, added: “This week’s events are not just about targeting people who are more likely to be victims of hate crime. Hate crime is everyone’s problem and we all have a part to play in tackling it.

"The more people who pledge to tackle it, the more the people who commit these offences will understand that it will not be tolerated in Warwickshire and more victims will have the confidence to come forward.”