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Simplify, streamline and improve hate crime reporting

The Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services report on police responses to hate crime in England and Wales found a ‘postcode lottery’ in terms of police responses. Nottingham Trent University has already been working on these important issues. The University has piloted a new risk assessment tool, implemented by Nottinghamshire Police following evaluative feedback from officers.

    Hate Crime
    Hate Crime
    Hate Crime

    The Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services report on police responses to hate crime in England and Wales [1] found a ‘postcode lottery’ in terms of police responses. Many forces are failing to correctly record hate crimes or implement procedures correctly such as responding within specified time limits [2]. At the same time, the report found examples of good practice by a number of forces including Nottinghamshire and West Yorkshire from which other forces can learn. Indeed, Police forces are strongly encouraged to act on the recommendations in view of predicted hate crime rises in the build up to the UK’s proposed departure from the EU in 2019 [3].

    The police have much to gain by engaging with institutions who can offer expertise and support in responding to the recommendations.  In 2016, Nottingham Trent University published a report on the policing of hate crime based on empirical interview data with front line officers in Nottinghamshire. Officers identified a number of key problems in dealing with hate crime effectively and Dr Trickett and Dr Hamilton’s report build on these views to make recommendations. In 2018, many of these problems have resurfaced in the HMICFR data including an overall patchy response to the critical issue of how police assess risk and safeguard hate crime victims.

    Nottingham Trent University has already been working on these important issues.  The University has piloted a new risk assessment tool, implemented by Nottinghamshire Police following evaluative feedback from officers on an earlier model in the empirical study outlined above.  This implementation is the first step in an overall aim to simplify, streamline and improve police response to hate crime. NTU has invested university funding to further develop this model, working with academics across university disciplines and alongside Nottingham Civic Exchange [4]. We encourage dialogue with police forces across England and Wales to come together in order to produce an innovative and interactive risk assessment tool that can be standardised to reduce the ‘post code lottery’ effect, helping all front line officers and forces improve their work with hate crime victims whilst recognising the challenges they face.

    Interested parties should email loretta.trickett@ntu.ac.uk

    Dr Loretta Trickett is author of The Policing of Hate Crime in Nottinghamshire The Policing of Hate Crime in Nottingham. A View from Within - Police Perspectives and Issues available online.

    She is also co-author of the recent Misogyny as Hate Crime Evaluation in Nottinghamshire.

    [1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-44873179

    [2] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/hate-crime-surge-post-brexit-police-warned-watchdog-a8453906.html

    [3] https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jul/19/brexit-will-trigger-rise-in-hate-crimes-warns-police-watchdog

    [4] https://www.ntu.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0028/375382/Policing-for-the-future.pdf

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    Published on 19 July 2018
    • Category: Nottingham Civic Exchange; Press office