Major new plan to tackle hate crime launched in Greater Manchester

Over 60 organisations from across Greater Manchester havve come together for the launch of a new plan to tackle hate crime and bring communities together over the next four years.

The GM Hate Crime Plan (between 2024 and 2028) will focus on education and raising awareness of hate crime, its consequences and how to report it, while also improving support for victims.

Hate crime is defined as ‘any criminal offences perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice, towards someone based on a personal characteristic’ and in Greater Manchester, this is checked across six strands: race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, transgender identity, and alternative sub-cultures.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) figures show that between September 2023 and August 2024 there were 9,613 hate crimes recorded in Greater Manchester.

At a launch event at Manchester Cathedral, partners set out how they will support the delivery of the plan and its six priorities, in neighbourhoods and communities across Greater Manchester.

The six priorities are:

• Improve education around hate crime.
• Prevention and early intervention towards hate crime.
• Bring communities together to tackle hate crime.
• Increase communication and awareness of hate crime and its consequences.
• Increase the confidence to report hate crime.
• Improve support for victims of hate crime.

Kate Green, deputy mayor of Greater Manchester for safer and stronger communities, said: “We recognise that we have developed this plan at a time of domestic tensions, with criminal disorder and violence in the summer, and heightened international conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.

"I acknowledge the depth of concern, and we will continue to work with all our communities, especially the Muslim, Jewish and Ukrainian communities, to ensure all are supported.

“Everyone has the right to live in safety without fear and we will never accept discrimination, prejudice, violence or hate in our city-region.

“This plan sets out our commitment to tackling hate crime in all its forms and I strongly believe that by empowering communities and putting an emphasis on education and early intervention we can bring people together and reduce division across our neighbourhoods.”

Since the violent disorder of July and August, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), GMP and the 10 local authorities of Greater Manchester have been working with partners to understand the impact on residents and local businesses.

This partnership work will continue over the coming months to assist Greater Manchester communities affected by the criminal disorder and violence in their recovery.

Superintendent Mike Russell, GMP’s force lead for hate crime, said: “Everyone in Greater Manchester has the right to feel safe and protected in their own communities, free from being the target of hate and abuse for who they are, which is why we fully support GMCA’s refreshed hate crime plan.

“We regularly work with local partners, agencies, and charities to better understand the ways in which to support those who have been victims of hate crime.

“By engaging with our diverse and vibrant communities, we can better influence our approach to a multitude of issues that people are encountering, and take action appropriately to ensure that we are offering the best service possible.

“GMP is committed to tackling hate crime in all its forms and if you are reading this and think you have been a victim of hate crime, please report it. We will listen to you and make sure you get the justice you deserve.”

If you have been the victim of a hate crime, you can report it to GMP by dialling 999 in an emergency, or by reporting it online: www.gmp.police.uk/ro/report/hate-crime/triage/v1/report-hate-crime/