Tackling hate crime in West Yorkshire

Categories: Latest News
Friday October 24 2014
The Halifax Courier reports on the rise in hate crimes in Calderdale, in the West Yorkshire region. Under an FOI submitted by the local paper, figures show that hate crime in Calderdale has risen over the last 3 years from 126 in 2011-12, to 132 in 2012-13, and to 149 in 2013-14.
The local paper notes the work of West Yorkshire police force as part of National Hate Crime Awareness Week to raise awareness about hate crime and instil victim confidence in reporting incidents to the police.
The paper notes the priority given to hate crime by Police and Crime Commissioner Mark Burns-Williamson in the Police and Crime Plan for the region including introducing “A number of sub-categories for the recording of faith and disability hate crimes to get a better understanding of the impact of national and international events on local communities and improve and target services for victims.”
Mr Burns-Williams told the paper: “The purpose of this campaign is to raise awareness of hate crime and, secondly, to get confidence in people that if they want to report a hate crime – whether it relates to race, disability or faith – they can do so and be taken seriously.
“Raising awareness of hate crime and how to report it is a key priority in the Police and Crime Plan.
“I want victims and witnesses of hate crime to feel able to come forward and report it to individuals and organisations they trust, because it is not acceptable in any form.”
The Home Office annual report on hate crime 2013/2014 found that religious hate crime was up 45% on the previous year. While the Home Office data is not disaggregated by religious identity, making it difficult to identify the actual figure for Islamophobic crime, the introduction by West Yorkshire Police force of a ‘sub category’ for recording faith based hate crime, will make it easier to ascertain the number of anti-Muslim hate crime incidents in the West Yorkshire region.