Event Details

Key Speakers

	Joanna Perry, Senior Policy Advisor, Equality and Diversity Unit, Crown Prosecution Service
	Paul Giannasi, Police Superintendent, Fairness and Confidence Unit, Office for Criminal Justice Reform, Ministry of Justice
	Jackie Driver, Head of Good Relations, Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)

Overview

Ten years on from the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, much progress has been made in tackling hate crime in the community with significant improvements in investigation processes and prosecution rates. Nevertheless, much more must be done to ensure that every person can live in safety without the fear of being persecuted based on their identity.

Seeking to assist local partners in their responses to hate crime in their community, ‘Hate Crime – The Cross Government Action Plan’ (2009) highlights the need to develop the limited evidence currently available on the nature and extent of hate crime and expand the good practice knowledge base. Striving to build public confidence in the Criminal Justice System and increase reporting of hate crime, the Action Plan aims to improve prosecution rates and the support available to victims and witnesses of hate crime. It also underlines the need for greater multi-agency working in order to improve the identification, prevention and investigation of hate crime.

A number of recent high profile cases have propelled disability hate crime into the public eye and firmly onto the national agenda. Despite an increase in the number of people charged with crimes against disabled people, the Equality and Human Rights Commission stresses that many more incidents of violence and hostility are either not reported or not dealt with properly by public bodies. The EHRC underlines the need to increase understanding of disability hate crime amongst all front-line practitioners in order to improve community responses and prevent the escalation of low level incidents.

With reports of hate crime on the rise, this symposium offers a timely opportunity for local authorities, community safety teams, equality and third sector practitioners and other key stakeholders to assess current progress in tackling hate crime.

Delegates will:

• Gain understanding of the legal framework for tackling hate crime
• Examine how to tackle hate crime in all its forms, strengthening prevention and intervention procedures and improving prosecution rates
• Consider how to raise awareness of hate crime, particularly disability based, and improve responses amongst both the public and all front-line practitioners
• Discuss how to improve the security and safety of disabled people, empowering them to live their lives
• Network, debate and share best practice in eradicating hate crime within every local community

Programme

Who Should Attend?

• Police Hate Crime Units
• Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnerships
• Community Safety Officers
• Local Authority Officers & Councillors
• Police, Health & Fire Service
• Equal Opportunities Officers
• Equality, Diversity & Human Rights Practitioners
• Race Equality Councils
• Race Equality Practitioners
• HR & Organisational Development Professionals
• Disability Practitioners
• Student Welfare Advisers
• Local Education Authorities
• SEN Practitioners
• Campaigning Organisations
• Immigration Advisers
• Employee Relations Advisers
• Legal Advisers Community Cohesion Officers
• Community Engagement Officers
• Community Relations Advisers
• Refugee and Asylum Support Officers
• Private Sectors Employers
• Public Sector Employers
• Central Government Departments & Bodies
• Small Business Owners
• Regulatory Bodies
• Third Sector Practitioners
• Academics
• Social Inclusion Officers
• Neighbourhood Renewal Officers
• Trade Union Representatives

“Hate crime is the targeting of individuals, groups and communities because of who they are. It targets people because of elements which go to the core of their identities – their race, their religious beliefs (or lack of them), their disability, their sexual orientation or that they are transgender. Hate crime is also a crime against the groups and communities to which these people belong. Hate crime is a human rights issue, a threat to community cohesion and a rejection of our shared values.”
— ‘Hate Crime – The Cross Government Action Plan’, September 2009

“ Hate crime is unacceptable in any civilised society and the police are committed to reduce the harm it causes, to victims, their families and to the broader community… We know that many hate crimes still go un-reported and it is essential that victims have both the confidence and the opportunity to report such crimes, either directly to the police or through a third party. A full understanding of the nature and extent of the problem will allow us and our partners to help protect people from the harm caused by hate crime.”
— Assistant Chief Constable Drew Harris, ACPO lead on Hate Crime, September 2009

“ … Physical, procedural and attitudinal barriers discourage disabled people from reporting [abuse] and the cumulative impact of these barriers can lead disabled people to feel that they are not being taken seriously… there is severe under-reporting of incidents but this is not simply due to the barriers within the criminal justice system. The predominant criminal justice focus should not overlook other agencies’ roles in the monitoring of, and acting upon, targeted violence and hostility against disabled people. The research identified the important preventive role that health and social care agencies, housing associations, local authorities, civil justice agencies, voluntary bodies, and others can play.”
— ‘Promoting the Safety and Security of Disabled People’, Equality and Human Rights Commission, April 2009