Amnesty calls for review of hate crime legal framework and police training in UK News
Amnesty calls for review of hate crime legal framework and police training in UK

Amnesty International UK (AI) [advocacy website] on Friday called for [press release] improved police training and a review of the legal framework as they relate to hate crimes in the UK. In a news briefing tilted “Against Hate: Tackling hate crime in the UK” [PDF], AI highlights a 42 per cent rise in hate crime in the two weeks prior to and following the EU referendum vote in 2016, primarily against members of minorities including, but not limited, to new migrants, asylum seekers and refugees. AI noted its particular concern that “significant numbers of victims do not report their experiences to the police or other relevant organisations,” adding: ” police have not always regarded such offences with the seriousness they should – if, indeed, they have recognised them as offences at all.” AI reasoned that the under-reporting of hate crimes is a reflection of the poor understanding of hate crime—”how it is defined, what forms it takes and how it applies in law – among actual and potential hate crime victims.” Among the recommendations AI makes in its briefing to improve the situation include: 1) extended review of the hate crime legal framework in the UK 2) adopting policies to speak out against discriminatory language 3) sensitivity training for public officials, police officers, and others in the law enforcement and justice sectors, 4) fostering community engagement by public officials and law enforcement, 5) monitoring online hate crime, and 6) extending the category of protected groups to include gender, age, socio-economic status and any and all characteristics that should have equal legal protection. The AI briefing documents the accounts of various individuals who have been subjected to hate crimes in the UK. Referring to the events following the recent London and Manchester attacks, AI UK Director Kate Allen stated:

we have seen reports of a rise in demonising language and dangerous comments that can cause real harm to real people. Now, more than ever, we must stand together against this hatred …. We are now calling for police to receive increased training in how to respond to hate crime and support victims, for more resources to assist investigation and prosecution, and for more awareness in how victims can report hate crimes.

Almost a year ago the UK Home Office [official website] encouraged prosecutors to use tougher sentences [JURIST report] against hate crimes in response to the nation’s increasingly hostile environment since the EU referendum. That move came as a response to the more than 6,000 hate crimes and incidents reported to the authorities since June 2016. Hate crimes have been on the rise in recent years both within and outside the US. In November, the FBI [official website] released [JURIST report] the 2015 Hate Crime Statistics showing the number of hate crimes reported to police to have increased by about 6.7 percent the previous year, led largely by a 67 percent rise in crimes against Muslims. Two months prior, a report compiled by California State University, San Bernardino [official website] similarly revealed [JURIST report] an increase in hate crimes in 2015, particularly among Muslims and Arab-Americans. The study compiled data from 20 states, representing over 53 percent of the national population. Overall hate crimes across the 20 states increased by about 5 percent. However, hate crimes against Muslims increased by 78 percent. Despite the increase of hate crimes, five states still do not have any hate-crime statutes [NYT report]: Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina, Wyoming and Indiana.