Hate Crime. Joint statement from Crown Prosecution Service and National Police Chiefs’ Council

The Crown Prosecution Service and National Police Chiefs’ Council are presenting this joint statement as the respective leads on hate crime for the National Police Chiefs Council and the Crown Prosecution Service.

Download the Joint Statement on the link below:

Hate Crime. Joint statement from Crown Prosecution Service and National Police Chiefs’ Council

Mark Hamilton and Lionel Idan from CPS and NPCC say this in their Foreword to the joint statement:

In recent years, we have faced significant escalations in terms of the challenges we face in relation to hate crime – be that in terms of geo-political events and their wider social discourse, or the nature and consequences of online behaviours on social media. Similarly, the Covid-19 pandemic has had consequences in terms of scapegoating and stereotyping targeted at specific communities.

Hate crimes often have a disproportionate impact on a victim because they are being targeted for who they are. We recognise that hate crime not only impacts the individual victim but also the wider community. Hate incidents as one-offs or a related series of events can send reverberations through communities, just as they can reinforce established patterns of prejudice and discrimination. This is why it is so important for hate crime to be investigated and prosecuted effectively.

In that context, this joint statement reaffirms the commitments of both Organisations to investigate and prosecute fairly and effectively and to support victims of hate crime to give their best evidence to enable positive outcomes to be achieved for all individuals and communities who may experience hate crime in the UK.

Read the full statement by downloading it on the link below:

Hate Crime. Joint statement from Crown Prosecution Service and National Police Chiefs’ Council