North Yorkshire charity boss praises police's hate crime crackdown
It's in relation to the response to damning conclusions about the discriminatory behaviour of officers elsewhere
The boss of a charity dedicated to supporting people who have experienced rape and sexual assault has praised North Yorkshire Police’s actions over tackling hate crime and response to damning conclusions about the discriminatory behaviour of officers elsewhere.
Mags Godderidge, chief executive officer at York and North Yorkshire charity Survive, told the county’s police, fire and crime panel the findings of the Independent Office for Police Conduct’s (IOPC) inquiry into the Metropolitan Police, which included that officers had sent sexualised and violent messages to each other, had undermined confidence in policing.
She told the meeting: “I’ve no doubt that I was not the only woman absolutely horrified by it. Even though it happened in a place far away it questions your trust in policing.”
Ms Godderidge was speaking after Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe told the panel North Yorkshire was “ahead of the national picture” because the force was among a few in the country which already regarded misogyny as a hate crime.
She said there was also good provision for reporting hate offences, with a designated Supporting Victims centre having been established in York.
The meeting heard in response to the IOPC report North Yorkshire Police had issued a warning to all officers about their behaviour and reminded them of their duty to challenge discrimination whenever it appeared.
An officer’s report to the panel highlighted how recent spikes in hate crime in York and North Yorkshire related to Covid-related incidents towards the Chinese community, disabled people exempt from wearing masks and homophobic and race hate towards teachers since pupils have returned to school after lockdown.
The panel was told the force had implemented the national strategy to tackle violence towards women, which included reviews of its vetting processes and standards.
Alongside pledges from senior officers that serious hate crime incidents would be tackled robustly and rapidly, the meeting heard one of the force’s officers had been suspended on Friday following an allegation of “poor conduct”.
Chief constable Lisa Winward said the anti-hate crime drive was also encouraging the calling out of incidents, regardless of whether it was only a small aspect of someone’s behaviour, as otherwise it could lead to more serious incidents or be seen as condoning the behaviour.
Ms Winward added: “We have a fast track means of exiting people from the organisation rather than waiting for a longer term discipline process to play out.”
She said the force was committed to “gripping even those minor things in the workplace that people feel uncomfortable about”.
The meeting was told the force was working to expand its local hate crime reporting centres, which included libraries across the county and York, had launched a confidential reporting line and the commissioner was considering creating an independent panel to examine the force’s response to hate crime allegations.
However, when asked what was being done to educate people to decrease hate crimes, commissioner’s officers replied that some people who had committed offences were being invited to attend hate crime awareness courses.
Ms Godderidge said she welcomed the response and was given confidence by it, but questioned what actions were being taken in the fire service where as only three per cent of staff were women as “it may be even harder to call out in that environment”.
The meeting heard the fire service was mirroring the police approach and was “trying to do everything we physically can”, making sure voices were heard at all levels and working to educate officers to make them aware of the impact of their behaviour.