Post on 21-Mar-2021
www.cleveland.pcc.police.uk‘Your Force Your Voice’
Tackling Disability Hate Crime in
Cleveland
Barry Coppinger, Police and Crime Commissioner
www.cleveland.pcc.police.ukwww.cleveland.pcc.police.uk
‘Your Force Your Voice’
• National focus on Disability Hate following Fiona
Pilkington case
• Local focus - Keith Philpott in Billingham, targeted due to
his learning disabilities, tortured and murdered
• 2013/14 – 22 disability hate incidents reported across
Cleveland in 12 month period
• Only 8 of these recorded as actual crimes
Hate Crime – The Cleveland Picture
www.cleveland.pcc.police.ukwww.cleveland.pcc.police.uk
‘Your Force Your Voice’
• Consultation with disabled community:– Young people with learning disabilities
– Middlesbrough Community Inclusion Service – providing support for
adults with learning disabilities
– Hartlepool Blind Welfare Association
– Guide Dogs Association
– Royal National Institute for the Blind
• Consultation with carers– Inclusion North facilitated workshops
Is this the real Cleveland Picture?????
www.cleveland.pcc.police.ukwww.cleveland.pcc.police.uk
‘Your Force Your Voice’
• Disabled people, particularly those with learning
disabilities, face frequent verbal abuse due to their
disabilities.
• Sometimes physical abuse as well.
• Public transport is an issue – especially buses.
• People change their routines to avoid the ‘bullies’ –
arriving early for day centres, avoiding the ‘school run.’
• Sometimes people completely lose their independence.
• Reluctance to report – embarrassed or simply don’t
realise incidents can be reported.
What did we learn?
www.cleveland.pcc.police.ukwww.cleveland.pcc.police.uk
‘Your Force Your Voice’
Education
• Worked with disabled
community to design a
Cleveland wide poster
campaign
• Staff awareness – in police
stations
• Community awareness – in
community venues
• Highlighted with disability
groups and carers
www.cleveland.pcc.police.ukwww.cleveland.pcc.police.uk
‘Your Force Your Voice’
• Research told us that those who worked with or cared for
disabled people didn’t know what disability hate crime
was – people told to ‘forget about it’
• Hate Crime Champions – network of people who live
with, work with, support or have family members with a
disability
• Trained to recognise the signs of hate crime and to
support people in reporting incidents
Hate Crime Champions Training
www.cleveland.pcc.police.ukwww.cleveland.pcc.police.uk
‘Your Force Your Voice’
• Invited 3 local bus companies to attend meeting with
Police and Crime Commissioner and disability groups.
• 2 companies attended.
• All bus drivers given hate awareness training – training
reviewed by disability group.
• Community education – need to tell bus driver when
incidents are happening.
Transport Issues
www.cleveland.pcc.police.ukwww.cleveland.pcc.police.uk
‘Your Force Your Voice’
Cleveland Wide Bus Poster Campaign
www.cleveland.pcc.police.ukwww.cleveland.pcc.police.uk
‘Your Force Your Voice’
• Training for front line– Recognising the added impact of hate crime on disabled community
– How to spot the signs
– How to encourage communities to report
• DVD shown to all front line police officers and staff
• Local Authorities
• College staff
• Bus drivers
• Real life scenarios
Training for front line staff
www.cleveland.pcc.police.ukwww.cleveland.pcc.police.uk
‘Your Force Your Voice’
Disability Hate Crime DVD - Training
www.cleveland.pcc.police.ukwww.cleveland.pcc.police.uk
‘Your Force Your Voice’
Third Party Reporting Centres
• Multi agency group chaired by
PCC Office
• Cross Cleveland logo and
reporting form
• Cross Cleveland standards
• Multi agency training for all
TPRCs
• Volunteers quality checking
venues
• Publicity launch
www.cleveland.pcc.police.ukwww.cleveland.pcc.police.uk
‘Your Force Your Voice’
Safe Places
• Community venues where
people can go to feel safe
• Corporate sign up – Marks and
Spencers
• Publicised on PCC website
• Checked by PCSOs
• Work with Adult Safeguarding
to raise awareness of venues
www.cleveland.pcc.police.ukwww.cleveland.pcc.police.uk
‘Your Force Your Voice’
• 2013/14 – 22 disability hate incidents reported across
Cleveland in 12 month period – only 8 recorded as
crimes.
• 2014/15 – 54 disability hate incidents reported, 19 of
these recorded as crimes
• 145% increase
Has it all had an impact????
www.cleveland.pcc.police.ukwww.cleveland.pcc.police.uk
‘Your Force Your Voice’
• Cross Cleveland/Durham dip sampling of all hate crime
strands – how to improve and identifying best practice.
• Victim Support contacting victims to hear about their
experience.
• Likely recommendations around disability hate crime– Better knowledge of special measures from front line staff – should be
offered more consistently
– Better understanding of victim needs – support through prosecution
What next???
www.cleveland.pcc.police.ukwww.cleveland.pcc.police.uk
‘Your Force Your Voice’
Disability Hate Crime DVD - Schools
www.cleveland.pcc.police.ukwww.cleveland.pcc.police.uk
‘Your Force Your Voice’
• Show Racism the Red Card– Over 2000 pupils had workshops
– 3 teacher training conferences planned
– Football stadium event
• Media Culture CIC – Islamophobia/community cohesion teacher training for 10 pilot schools
• Community engagement– IAGs
– Religious establishments
– Regional Refugee Forum
– Multi cultural events - Middlesbrough Mela, Stockton Eid Fusion
Race Hate Crime