Combating hate crime across Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd has allocated £10,000 to each of the 10 Greater Manchester local authority areas to support local projects to combat hate crime.

It follows the publication of a report which looks at hate crime across Greater Manchester and lays down a number of challenges for police, local authorities, schools and colleges, the wider criminal justice system, and community and voluntary organisations.

The report comes ahead of Hate Crime Awareness Week, a Greater Manchester-wide week of activity that takes place between 8 and 14 February to raise awareness of hate crime, encourage reporting and bring communities together to challenge it.

Mr Lloyd said: “Hate crime must not, and will not, be tolerated in Greater Manchester. We are a proud region that embraces diversity and stands together against those who seek to divide us through intolerance, hatred and violence. Only by working together can we build strong, cohesive communities and make hate crime truly unacceptable.

“This report is a call to action for every agency and every individual who has a stake in the safety and security of our communities. The route to ending hate crime is not going be easy but by listening to victims, working with community and voluntary groups and harnessing the unwavering will and determination of local people we can challenge hate.

“There’s already some good work going on to tackle hate crime and encourage people to report it. This funding will enhance this work and make sure that victims of hate crime have confidence in the criminal justice system and are getting the right help and support.
“I also want to thank the victims and survivors, as well as the organisations, who took the time to tell me about their experiences of hate crime. Without your help and feedback I wouldn’t be able to challenge GMP and other partner agencies on your behalf.”

The report includes a number of challenges for various agencies, including:

• To establish a comprehensive education and awareness package across Greater Manchester. 
• For GMP to work with victims and advocate groups to develop its hate crime policies and procedures and improve training for frontline officers and call handlers. 
• To look at where the gaps are in reporting mechanisms and put improvements in place, including the development of third party reporting centres to provide an effective and consistent service across Greater Manchester. 
• Challenge why nearly half of reported hate crimes do not have a positive outcome e.g. prosecution, caution, restorative justice.
• Look at opportunities to highlight cases where victims of hate crime have gone through the criminal justice system and had a satisfying resolution so as to improve public confidence. 
• Work with private sector organisations to develop potential ‘safe places’ across Greater Manchester - a place where anyone can go if they are feeling scared or vulnerable and need help right away.