Welcoming the Home Secretary’s announcement that Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary is to review how police forces deal with hate crime, part of a package of measures to address the recent rise in hate incidents, Greater Manchester’s Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd said:
“Hate crime destroys lives, divides communities and has no place in our society so Government action to review and strengthen how authorities, particularly the police, tackle hate crime is very much welcomed.
“In Greater Manchester, we have seen an 18% increase in incidents following the EU Referendum, with some horrendous cases of people being targeted because of their race, religion or background. This is not a reflection of our diverse, proud, welcoming region where the vast majority of communities stand together against those seek to divide and spread hatred. But we also need police and criminal justice agencies to take firm action against perpetrators and send a strong message that hate crime will not be tolerated. I look forward to working with HMIC to ensure Greater Manchester Police is doing all it can to tackle hate crime and instil confidence in our citizens to report it.
“Educating our younger generation and giving teachers the confidence to challenge hatred in our schools is also welcomed. All of us, young and old, have a vital role to play in eradicating hate crime so it’s important we encourage those conversations early on and equip young people with the tools to challenge it.”
