Crackdown on hate crime by the British Transport Police

According to records of the British Transport Police (BTP), there was a “worrying spike” in the number of reported hate crimes committed on British railways in the aftermath of last year’s vote to leave the EU.

Records obtained through a Freedom of Information request by the Press Assosiation reveal that the number of reported incidents between 24^th June and 7^th July rose by 78 per cent in comparison to the same time period in 2015 ,

In the first half of this year, a total of 76 incidents of physical and verbal abuse regarding race, religion, disability, gender and sexual orientation have been reported just in North West trains and at stations.

These incidents were brought sharply into focus earlier this month when train guard, Matt Tillon, intervened in a racist incident in which he expelled Alexander MacKinnon from the carriage after catching MacKinnon telling fellow passenger Sanaa Shahid that she “did not belong” in the first-class cabin and that she “shouldn’t be in this country at all.”

The latest figures have thus prompted the BTP to launch a fresh crackdown on hate crime.

Yesterday BTP officers and staff from across the North West reinforced the message that everyone has the right to travel safely by talking to passengers, rail staff and members of the public about the #WeStandTogether campaign, an initiative designed to stamp out hate crime on public transport.

Inspector Granville Sellers said: “Everyone has the right to travel safely and not to be targeted, simply because of who they are or because of who you or your friends and family are, or who people think they are.

“Any victimisation or intolerance that is driven by hatred will have a significant and often much greater emotional and psychological impact on those involved, but offences that are motivated by hate and prejudice also have the wider potential to divide communities.

“Particularly after the recent horrific events in Manchester and London, now more than ever, we need to stand together to address hatred and extremism.

“There is never any excuse and we take our responsibility to investigate this type of crime, and provide full support to victims of hate crime extremely seriously.”

Report hate crime by calling British Transport Police on 0800 405040 or texting 61016.