Jump in hate crime against the disabled in Cornwall and Devon
Charities are warning of a "harrowing" rise is numbers across the country
There has been a jump in the number of hates crimes against the disabled being recorded in Cornwall and Devon.
A new report has found that there has been a 20 percent rise in cases being dealt with by Devon and Cornwall Police over the last year.
There were 243 in total, but only three of those led to there being a charge.
131 of those cases involved violence, and three were online.
Over 7,300 disability hate crimes were reported to the police across England and Wales in 2019/20, yet only one in 62 cases actually received a charge from the police.
The "harrowing" figures come from new research by disability charities Leonard Cheshire and United Response.
Findings from the joint investigation have been released ahead of National Hate Crime Awareness Week, which starts on Saturday 10th October.
Two thirds of the 36 police forces that responded to the Freedom of Information (FOI) request reported increases in disability hate crimes in 2019/20. Just 12 forces reported drops in numbers for their region.
While nearly 21 crimes were reported to the police every day in England and Wales during 2019/20, an average of 10 crimes per day involved an act of violence against a disabled person, including assault and harassment.
Mum Alice has seven children, a number of which have autism. As a family, they have been the victim of disability hate crime frequently.
“Most of our experiences have involved being yelled at or threatened when out as a family,” she explained. “People call us offensive names like ‘retard’ and ‘spastic’ and make us feel like we shouldn’t be part of the community.
"Our neighbour has also physically intimidated us because they find my son frightening and don’t want him out in his own garden. Now he not only feels isolated from the community, but his own garden too. Being told that your son is frightening to other people because of his condition is pretty awful.”
Cyber abuse also continued to be endured by disabled people across online platforms like social media or gaming forums, with 1 in 10 reports of all disability hate crimes taking place online in 2019/20.
However, the charities are warning that these figures could just be the tip of the iceberg and with lockdown necessitating increased online communication, it is likely these figures will continue to rise next year.
“As this abhorrent crime continues to rise year on year, it’s time for the authorities, Government and online platforms to start taking this damaging behaviour more seriously. Offenders must face appropriate repercussions and be educated on the impact of their cowardly acts, while increased funding for advocacy services is also urgently needed. Victims need to have better access to support across the entire reporting, investigative and judicial process. This is the only way to make victims feel safe and confident in reporting these crimes to the police, helping lead to more concrete charges and ultimately convictions.
“With online hate crime showing no signs of slowing down, provisions also need to be made to make the internet a less threatening place for disabled people with effective monitoring and recording of hateful activity. Disabled people must also be involved in the development of digital strategies to help ensure this type of damaging behaviour doesn’t slip through the cracks.”
Leonard Cheshire and United Response
The two charities are encouraging people to show solidarity with victims of disability hate crime by pledging to call out hate crime on online platforms and be an ally to those that need support.
12-year-old Eva, who has cerebral palsy, was a victim of hate crime on her first trip to the park with a friend. “Two boys started cycling around us and teasing me about being in a wheelchair. It made me feel sad and a bit frightened.”
Eva immediately logged the incident online and received a call from the police within an hour. “The police really supported me and followed up with me a couple of times after the event. I felt like they really took it seriously and understood how it affected me.”
Victims of disability hate crime should report it to their friends or family or call the police if it is safe to do so.