INCIDENTS of racist hate crime reported to Essex police have risen by 46 per cent in the past year, figures released by the Home Office show.
But police have welcomed the news claiming the surge shows a renewed confidence from victims, who are now more likely to come forward, and a more diligent recording of crime. Figures also show that reported rates of hate crime overall have risen by 18.9 per cent.
Assistant Chief Constable Maurice Mason said: "It has been widely acknowledged that hate crime within the UK has been vastly under-reported for a long time so I am extremely encouraged by this report.
"This clearly shows that the steps we have taken in Essex to address this issue have had an effect. They are beginning to work and victims are becoming more confident in reporting hate crimes to the police.
"In particular we have seen a significant rise in the number of victims of disability related hate incidents coming forward whereas in the past there had been virtually none.
"We know there is more to be done which is why we recently launched our 'Stop the Hate' initiative."We will continue to work in partnership with others who have expertise in the field, to ensure victims feel supported, and know that they will be dealt with in a sensitive and professional manner.
"It is important to raise awareness among the wider community – and for everyone to realise that hate crime and bullying will not be tolerated."
Initiatives spearheaded by the force to tackle hate crime include specialist training for officers, new reporting centres offering a safe and accessible place to give information, a dedicated twitter account, and the launch of a website (www.stopthehate.org.uk) with information, advice, news and networking opportunities.
Nick Alston, Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex, added: "I am sure that there has been a significant amount of hate crime occurring across the country which was simply not reported to police. In Essex, we have worked hard to increase confidence in reporting hate crime, including the introduction by the police of specially trained Hate Crime Officers, the creation of Hate Incident Reporting Centres, and a 'Stop the Hate' campaign run with partner agencies.
"Given this broad context, I welcome the increase in the number of hate crimes recorded by Essex Police. It suggests growing public confidence in reporting such crimes, enabling police to investigate and bring offenders to justice, and to work with partner agencies to stop hate crime occurring in the first place. The message is 'Report It To Sort It'.
"Racist, bullying or insulting behaviour is always unacceptable, and this increase in reported hate crime suggests we are making progress in combatting this problem."
But police have welcomed the news claiming the surge shows a renewed confidence from victims, who are now more likely to come forward, and a more diligent recording of crime. Figures also show that reported rates of hate crime overall have risen by 18.9 per cent.
Assistant Chief Constable Maurice Mason said: "It has been widely acknowledged that hate crime within the UK has been vastly under-reported for a long time so I am extremely encouraged by this report.
"This clearly shows that the steps we have taken in Essex to address this issue have had an effect. They are beginning to work and victims are becoming more confident in reporting hate crimes to the police.
"In particular we have seen a significant rise in the number of victims of disability related hate incidents coming forward whereas in the past there had been virtually none.
"We know there is more to be done which is why we recently launched our 'Stop the Hate' initiative."We will continue to work in partnership with others who have expertise in the field, to ensure victims feel supported, and know that they will be dealt with in a sensitive and professional manner.
"It is important to raise awareness among the wider community – and for everyone to realise that hate crime and bullying will not be tolerated."
Initiatives spearheaded by the force to tackle hate crime include specialist training for officers, new reporting centres offering a safe and accessible place to give information, a dedicated twitter account, and the launch of a website (www.stopthehate.org.uk) with information, advice, news and networking opportunities.
Nick Alston, Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex, added: "I am sure that there has been a significant amount of hate crime occurring across the country which was simply not reported to police. In Essex, we have worked hard to increase confidence in reporting hate crime, including the introduction by the police of specially trained Hate Crime Officers, the creation of Hate Incident Reporting Centres, and a 'Stop the Hate' campaign run with partner agencies.
"Given this broad context, I welcome the increase in the number of hate crimes recorded by Essex Police. It suggests growing public confidence in reporting such crimes, enabling police to investigate and bring offenders to justice, and to work with partner agencies to stop hate crime occurring in the first place. The message is 'Report It To Sort It'.
"Racist, bullying or insulting behaviour is always unacceptable, and this increase in reported hate crime suggests we are making progress in combatting this problem."