Agenda item

This proactive scrutiny session will allow the Police and Crime Panel to scrutinise and support the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) in his intention to prevent and tackle hate crime across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

This scrutiny will consider how the PCC is listening to and engaging partners, community associations and members of the public across the two counties in efforts to enhance outcomes for victims and to encourage them to come forward to report their concerns. The review will also consider how effectively the PCC is holding the Chief Constable to account for policing strategy focussed upon tackling and preventing hate crime.

The scope for this session is attached as Appendix One. Written evidence has been received and is attached as Appendix Two.

The Panel will hear oral evidence from the below stakeholders:

a)    Age UK Isle of Wight

b)    Hampshire Constabulary

c)    KROMA

d)    Muslim Council of Southampton

e)    Police and Crime and Commissioner for Hampshire and the IOW

Members heard that this proactive scrutiny session would be focused on the topic of ‘Hate Crime’. A scope for this review (see Appendix One to Item Eight in the Minute Book) had been agreed by the Plan working group, who had written to stakeholders in the previous weeks to collate evidence (see Appendix Two to Item Eight in the Minute Book).

The key questions asked of witnesses were:

1)     Since the publication of the Police and Crime Plan in 2016, how successful do you feel the PCC has been in his pledge to address hate crime? What changes have you observed, since this time, in the approach to supporting victims and those vulnerable to hate crime within our communities?

2)     Are you aware of the current strategic approach to policing hate crime? Can you identify any areas where the policing provision, within Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, in response to hate crime could be improved?

3)       How effective do you feel the PCC and his office have been in engaging with partners to enhance the approach to preventing hate crime and to encourage greater community cohesion? What opportunities do you feel exist for greater engagement?

4)     What engagement is currently being undertaken with local residents and victim support groups to better understand their concerns regarding hate crime? How could the PCC support or improve the current approach?

5)     What do you think should be the priorities for action to address hate crime and enhance community cohesion within Hampshire and the Isle of Wight? What challenges exist which could prevent or delay these actions from being delivered?

6)     Are there any examples of successful approaches in tackling, and supporting victims of hate crimewhich you or your organisation are aware of, either within Hampshire and the Isle of Wight or in other areas?

7)     Is there anything further that you can provide to the Panel that will assist us with our proactive scrutiny of this topic?

It was heard that this proactive scrutiny session would allow the Panel to scrutinise and support the Commissioner, given his intention to prevent and tackle hate crime across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. This scrutiny would consider how the Commissioner is listening to and engaging partners, community associations and members of the public across the two counties in efforts to enhance outcomes for victims and to encourage them to come forward to report their concerns. The review would also consider how effectively the Commissioner is holding the Chief Constable to account for policing strategy focussed upon tackling and preventing hate crime.

Noting a refreshed layout for the session, the Chairman invited Councillor Simon Bound, on behalf of the Panel and the Panel’s Plan Working Group, who take a lead for proactive scrutiny work, to act as facilitator for the session.

Councillor Bound explained that the oral evidence giving session would take the format of a witness expert panel, with all representatives present being given the opportunity to answer questions from the wider Panel. Discussion was encouraged, and any questions that were not answered on the day would be fed back to witnesses for a written response after the meeting.

The expert witnesses were provided with the opportunity to introduce themselves. Members heard:

• The Muslim Council of Southampton (MCS) seeks to provide opportunities for Muslim communities, particularly the young people within those communities, and focusses upon supporting integration with the wider community.
• KROMA aims to empower LGBTI community through raising awareness, and supporting inclusion. 
• AGE UK IOW are an independent charity which offers 26 different services for those aged 50 and over living on the Isle of Wight. Highlighted was the ‘Good Neighbour Scheme’ which has provided support to older residents, many of whom had felt isolated and vulnerable. After identifying that a significant cohort of those being supported were members the LGBTI community, Age UK IOW received funding from the OPCC to run specific services supporting the LGBTQI community and those experiencing domestic violence.
• Marcus Cator, Hampshire Constabulary, currently worked within the Portsmouth city area, and had spent the last 18 months focussing upon community cohesion and hate crime.
• Ranjeev Pathak was leading the OPCC’s approach in tacking hate crime.

The witness panel were then asked a number of questions relating to the work of the Commissioner in tackling and preventing hate crime. In response to their questions Members heard:

Reporting

• Hate crime is particularly harmful, as it as targeted at a person’s core being. Anyone can be a victim of hate crime, and identifying and supporting victims can be complex, as many victims may have been targeted as a result of multiple characteristics.
• Home Office figures indicated that in 2016/17 police forces in England and Wales recorded 80,393 hate offences, an increase of 29% on the previous year.  Whilst the Crime Survey of England and Wales, using combined data from the survey estimated that on average there were 222,000 hate incidents per year between 2012/13 – 2015/15. Hate Crime targeted at disabilities is of particular concern, where only 1 in 34 incidents are reported to the police.
• Age UK IOW stated that a significant proportion of the LGBTI community on the Isle of Wight had been secret for a long time. Reports to their service have suggested that hate crime is a daily occurrence on the island. Their service users suggested that a confidence gap exists with the police, which may impact upon reporting.
• Victims have reported that information captured from the initial report by Hampshire Constabulary, through the contact centre, has not always been correct. However reports have suggested that when an officer from Hampshire Constabulary visits a victim the service received was “superb”.
• Hampshire Constabulary are undertaking a pilot, with funding from EU, to enable their officers to be better equipped to respond to hate crime incidents. The inventive approach will train officers using an interactive suite of options, to help them to better understand the impact they can make on the victim’s journey.
• It was recognised as vital that statutory bodies and support services give victims the confidence to come forward; with the knowledge and that they will receive appropriate help and support. If all parties demonstrate a determination to do this then it was felt hate crime reporting should increase.
• Comparisons were made to domestic violence and sexual abuse, where reporting had increased significantly in recent years, following raised awareness which has encouraged victims to come forward.

Councillor Ken Muschamp left the meeting at this point.

Community Cohesion

• Community cohesion and hate crime go hand in hand. Hate crime fractures communities and it is recognised that our societies are not as clear and cohesive as they need to be, and a lack of tolerance exists within many communities. Once hate crime becomes normalised within communities, environments become hostile and victims keep quiet and are less likely to report incidents to the police.
• Awareness should not only be focussed on victims, but in helping people to understand and appreciate the impact hate crime can have on individuals.
• MCS explained that the general feeling from their communities is that nothing happens following abuse and it is being normalised and accepted by vulnerable communities. Real fears are coming forth from individuals who now won’t go outside of their homes for risk of falling victim. To support and raise the confidence of residents, MCS are working with Tell Mama to run safety programmes.
• Nationally, anti-Semitic crime is increasing. To date the OPCC have had very little engagement with Jewish community regarding hate crime, and having recognised this as a concern are now seeking to develop links with  these communities.
• Asylum seekers and homeless persons awaiting their status are also an area of concern, as many are too worried to report incidents of hate crime in case it effects their immigration status

Rural Engagement

• The written evidence received from a number of the rural areas and town and parish councils suggested that hate crime wasn’t present within their communities. This viewpoint suggested that further awareness raising in these areas was a significant priority.
• Whilst the characteristics, which may see people falling victim to hate crime might be different in rural communities, the potential for hate crime is still present. It was recognised that messages to rural populations may need to differ to those in other, more urban areas to help residents understand and be more aware of different forms of hate crime.
• In particular it was felt that the higher proportion of more elderly residents within rural communities may be contributing to this lack of awareness, as views which were once socially accepted now need to be challenged, particularly where hate crime may stem from such views.
• The OPCC suggested that the Panel’s scrutiny has highlighted this is a real issue, much greater than was recognised. Whilst urban areas are engaged in tackling hate crime it appears that rural communities need greater support in doing so.
• The Isle of Wight was regarded as having come a long way over the previous year, in terms of awareness and tolerance and cultural awareness. Age UK explained that have a good footprint on the island and that the good neighbour scheme has been a significant contributing factor in improvements. The scheme created a safe place where individuals felt comfortable in disclosing concerns they hadn’t felt able to before.

Wider impacts

• The issues impacting upon hate crime are wider than concerns regarding reporting. Political issues, such as Brexit, and counter-terrorism approaches, such Prevent, have had a negative impact within certain communities and fuelled an increase in hate crime.
• The role of the media and social media was recognised in fuelling hate crime, particularly in the impact felt by the Muslim community.
• Recently media reported letters sent anonymously threatening a “Punish a Muslim Day” on 3rd April. MCS noted that they had received a letter of support from Hampshire Constabulary, although had not received any communication from local authorities.
• MCS expressed that they have a very good relationship with Hampshire Constabulary and that they share and receive information from the Constabulary at their quarterly meeting.

Community remedy

• Most victims of hate just want it to stop. They don’t want to go to court they just want to live their lives and to have tolerance within their communities.
• Hate crime is a challenging area, like domestic abuse, in that permission has to be sought from the Crown Prosecution Service to bring forward a charge and out of court disposals options are very limited. The Director of Public Prosecution is currently looking at the use of conditional cautions in case of hate crime.
• The use of restorative justice is also difficult because, in order for it to be effective, it would need offenders to change their fundamental beliefs.
• Within certain communities elements of restorative justice may be accessible, through the use of mediation and conflict resolution by community leaders.
• Parental impact on person’s fundamental beliefs can be very significant, as can peer pressure. Criminalisation of children, as a result of these formed beliefs is of key concern, particularly with the lack of other out of court disposals. 

Third Party Reporting Centres

• The McPherson review in 1998 had demonstrated that victims of hate crime were not, at that time, confident in reporting their concerns directly to the police. The report recommended that there should be access for victims to be able to make an independent report of crime, 24 hours a day.
• Across Hampshire and Isle of Wight the number of independent hate crime reporting centres had grown from three to 49, with hopes to increase this number in the future. Whilst these reporting centres were geographically spread, there was a more significant concentration of centres along the south coast, with 20 based within in Southampton and a further 20 provided across the two counties within local Citizen Advice Bureaus. The OPCC provides support to these reporting centres through the provision of  literature and access to training provided by Hampshire Constabulary. The longer term vision of the Commissioner was, to avoid isolation, to join-up the work of all the reporting centres as one wider scheme. 
• It is hoped that a similar model of third party reporting centres, currently in place across Southampton, can be replicated within the Portsmouth area.
• KROMA are one of those third party reporting centres and demonstrates that you don’t need to have a specifically physical location to be a reporting centre. Currently reporting is available at any one of KROMA’s five meet up groups and they also have a facility for members of the LGBTI community to call or email them to make a report. 
• Local Citizen Advice Bureaus were recognised by the OPCC as ideal locations for third party hate crime reporting, as people talk to them about wider issues affecting them allowing staff an opportunity to identify further concerns, including hate crime.
• Eastleigh Borough Council had become a third party reporting centre and the OPCC hoped all councils, across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, might consider become third party reporting centres, as a central safe environment which is easily accessible by residents.

Councillor Steve Clarke and Councillor David Stewart left the meeting at this point.

Partnership

• It was agreed that a partnership approach was vital in order to address Hate Crime and that partners needed to come forward with a commitment to addressing concerns and breaking down silo working.
• It was also felt important that partners mainstream hate crime and make it a thread across everything they do.
• Local Authority websites had been observed to have little information on hate crime, or signposts available to those seeking support.
• Communities were part of the solution and were a key partner in prevention of hate crime. It was felt important for support services to understand the hierarchy in ethic cultures and within different communities. Without this understanding, support offered may be presented in a way that is unwelcomed, and therefore reduce community engagement.

Councillor Bound closed the session by thanking the witnesses for the evidence they had provided. He further explained that the Panel’s conclusions will be summarised and recommendations to the Commissioner will be brought to the next Panel meeting in July 2018.