Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottinghamshire Police, other dedicated local services and leading charities have today signed up to a pledge to say ‘No to hate!’
The ‘No to hate!’ pledge event took place on Friday 18 December at the National Holocaust Centre in Nottinghamshire and was funded by Nottinghamshire County Council’s Community Safety Committee.
Organised by a partnership working group, led and funded by Nottinghamshire County Council, the event featured forward-thinking presentations from specialists in the field working on the reporting and recording of hate crime and the services designed to support victims.
The County Council has also launched its hate crime policy showing a commitment to tackling hate crime for all those who live and work in Nottinghamshire.
The event also introduced some upcoming innovative hate crime training days in 2016 to be supported and funded by the county council’s Community Safety Committee for partners in the Safer Nottinghamshire Board and each of the Community Safety Partnerships (police, fire, probation etc.) which will look at how best we can support victims but also understand the motivations of perpetrators.
Councillor Glynn Gilfoyle, Committee Chairman for Community Safety, at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “This event demonstrates how seriously we all regard hate crime in Nottinghamshire and this pledge is a significant commitment. We are saying that our organisations have a moral and civic duty to actively condemn all forms of hate crime and discrimination regardless of its motivation. We are also stating that we condemn all forms of intolerance and intimidation and that we all pledge to work to further strengthen community cohesion.”
Ruth Hyde, Chief Executive of Broxtowe Borough Council and Chair of the Nottinghamshire Hate Crime steering group presented the exciting work which has been commissioned by the group so far and also gave an insight into what the future for Nottinghamshire’s coordinated approach to hate crime.
She said: “The pledge that organisations have signed up to today will highlight how important it is for us to recognise hate crime, support people in reporting and, together, we must take action to address the needs of victims and keep communities safe.
“We are pledging ourselves to continue the task of effectively tackling hate crime in order to reduce the number of repeat victims whilst engaging with community safety partnerships in a renewed way. The City Council are running a scrutiny exercise, which will look at the way in which individual cases are dealt with, and were we can work better as well as research the best ways to tackle the perpetrators of hate crime.
“We are continuing a coordinated marketing campaign over the next 12 months aimed at awareness. By pooling our funding and resources together we are also developing as new approach to prevent strategy in Nottinghamshire.”
Nottinghamshire Police Chief Constable, Chris Eyre, announced that the force will be building up a more detailed picture of hate crime across the county thanks to new recording measures. Hate crime will now be recorded under specific sub-categories such as misogynistic and alternative subculture incidents, to enable better analysis of the issue.
He said: “We want to encourage reporting and promote the support that is on offer. I am proud to report that Nottinghamshire Police has committed to categorising hate crimes in more detail, including those against alternative subcultures and of a misogynistic nature.
“This will enable greater understanding for both us and our partners in supporting victims and tackling offending.”
The announcement was followed by Police and Crime Commissioner Paddy Tipping summarising the importance of Nottinghamshire’s commitment, saying: “Hate crime, in its many forms, can cause deep distress and fear. This is a disgusting crime that really impacts on people’s lives and is usually driven by hostility, prejudice or hatred. It is the responsibility of all of us not only to support and encourage people to report it, but also to challenge this poor behaviour.
“Together we need to tackle the root causes, raise awareness and provide reassurance to victims that they should not simply ‘put up with it’. We know that there is significant under-reporting of Hate Crime incidents, and we urge victims not suffer in silence but to give the police the opportunity to put a stop to it.”
A highlight for guests was a very moving talk by Sylvia Lancaster OBE, Chief Executive of the Sophie Lancaster Foundation. Sylvia set up the foundation following her daughter, Sophie’s, death in 2007. Since then, the foundation has been hugely influential in highlighting alternative subculture as a defined promoting a change in tolerance and driving change in policy to protect individuals who identify with alternative subcultures.
Sylvia addressed the audience of Nottinghamshire organisations. She said: “Young people must feel free and comfortable to make a choice, to look the way they want she said. Sophie didn’t really see herself as a goth. She was just being herself, as she had every right to. It made her happy.
“We have made so much progress already but you can always reach someone else. We can never bring Sophie back but we can get her message out there. I have to give my daughter some relevance.”
Sylvia’s presentation captivated the audience with her experience and resolve. After the event she said: “I’m really excited and can’t wait to hear the reactions from the people of Nottinghamshire.
“This is all about recognition and I’m sure the people of Nottinghamshire, especially the alternative groups, will be thrilled with the announcement that Nottinghamshire Police have signed up to our foundation.
“The local force is now recording alternative subculture as its own strand of hate crime and will be working closely with us from today. It’s about having a wide focus, not just about the five strands of hate crime, it extends further than that and Nottinghamshire is one of the fore runners in that way of thinking.”