New hate crime tool tackles discrimination in Liverpool
A new online tool's launched to try and identify hate crime 'hotspots' in the city.
The launch marks 15 years since Liverpool student Anthony Walker was killed in a racially motivated attack in Huyton and comes a day after what would have been Anthony's 34th birthday.
The charity set up in his name; the Anthony Walker Foundation, is launching the tool as part of its ‘Speak Out! Stop Hate' campaign.
Data from the Government shows between March 2019 and March 2020 105,090 hate crimes were recorded by police in England and Wales, up from 97,446 offences the year before.
Additionally, last year the number of people in Merseyside who accessed support from the foundation increased by 126%.
It's hoped the 'Speak Out! Stop Hate' campaign and reporting tool, will encourage more people to report hate crime by giving them an accessible way to log crimes anonymously.
Anthony's sister Dominique and vice-chair of the foundation said:
“Whether because of confusion around what constitutes a hate crime, a lack of awareness, or simply not knowing where to go, the amount of hate crimes going unreported is incredibly worrying and, without this insight, it is much harder for us to tackle the issue head-on.
“This campaign provides much needed fresh impetus for everyone to feel empowered to step up and oppose hate crime in any way we can. Whether it’s reporting offences, responding effectively to those experiencing hate crime, or putting measures and resources in place to prevent hate crime, we can all collectively contribute to making our communities safer for all.”
The scheme is backed by funding from the Government through the Department for Housing, Communities & Local Government. Communities Minister Lord Greenhalgh said:
“This Government is working hard to cut crime, recruiting 20,000 new police officers and providing funding to local communities to help make their streets safer. Our Faith, Race and Hate Crime Grant Scheme is supporting organisations like the Anthony Walker Foundation and stamp out prejudice and discrimination.
“Everyone should feel safe in the public realm, and we are delighted to support this ambitious pilot programme to encourage people in Liverpool to report hate crime in a safe and accessible way. This programme will give real insight to support our work to combat crime and I look forward to seeing the results."
It's thought the data collected by the tool could help paint a clearer picture of hate crime incidents across the city, allowing resources and support to be given to hate crime 'hot spots'.