Monitoring and Prevention of Hate Crime (and Incidents) in Policing Work

1. Monitoring and Prevention of Hate Crime (and Incidents) in Policing Work Chris Taylor Independent Consultant (Formerly Chief Inspector, London’s Metropolitan Police)

2. UK Police Mission Working together for safer communities – • to ensure that racist and violent crime is prevented and • when it occurs it is recognised, investigated thoroughly to agreed quality standards and • reviewed objectively to enable lessons to be learned

3. OSCE Good Police Practice • Dependent on relationship of trust and confidence • Built on regular communication and practical co-operation between police and minorities • Greater sensitivity to concerns, and • More responsive to requirements for personal protection and access to justice in a multi-ethnic society

4. Key Areas • Intelligence–led approach • Support Communities • Effective Investigation • Prosecution Standards

5. What is a Hate Incident? • Hate incident is taken to mean any event where the perpetrator’s prejudice against an identifiable group of people is a factor in determining who is victimised. • You don’t have to be from a minority community to be a victim.

6. Intelligence Approach • The important three things to know about hate crimes: • Who are the most susceptible victims/ potential victims? • Who are the principal offenders/potential offenders? • Which areas have the greatest prevalence of crime or are at greatest risk from them

7. Support Communities • Eradicate hate crime • Protection • Positive arrest policy • Social target hardening

8. Effective Investigations • Investigation is a process of problem solving and evidence gathering. • You cannot have an effective investigation without clear identification of the problem. • The cost of effect investigation of hate crime is high • The cost of failure to investigate hate crime effectively is far higher

9. Internal Grievances Any incident where: • an individual is believed to be a victim of prejudice • the confidence of that person, their family/community cannot be assumed; or • an early internal response is critical to safeguard that person’s interests and subsequent enquiries

10. Why did thing go wrong? • Standards Failure • Training Failure • Leadership Failure • Individual Failure

11. CPS Decisions • Guided by code of practice for prosecutors • 2 tests • Sufficiency of evidence to provide a ‘realistic prospect of conviction’ • Prosecution needed in the public interest • Hate motivation and aggravating circumstances placed before the court • Victim involvement

12. Conclusion • A – Awareness: reduce tensions that could lead to hate conflict. • B – Bridge Building: from all sides and institutions • C – Communication: dialogue with other public authorities and local organisations especially at the local level • D – Developing People/Organisations: enforce and monitor anti-discrimination standards vigorously and effectively and ensure incidents are fully recorded, investigated and supervised • E – Ethical: Appreciate that successful police work must be based on a considered judgement of what is just and proper in each situation.