"Hate crime is disgusting and thoroughly unacceptable"
Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore reacts to new figures suggesting hate crime is on the rise in the county
Last updated 14th Oct 2021
Data released by the Home Office this week showed a 11 percent increase in the number of hate crime offences reported in Suffolk for the period ending March 2021, as compared to the year prior. We spoke to Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore on the back of these findings.
"On one hand, it is very disturbing that there is hate crime at all. I suspect, however, that one of the reasons the number is up is because there's greater awareness about this abusive and unpleasant behaviour and that people must report it so that the police can deal with it accordingly", he says.
Commissioner Passmore also highlights the increase in the number of hate crime cases solved and assures that the constabulary has many programs in place to deal with the issue and are taking it very seriously.
"In the past we've put money into building partnerships to tackle hate crime and raise awareness. Resources are also allocated to local authorities to encourage reporting, look after victims and help them come to terms with what has happened and move on. We've actually put some more money collected from the extra council tax to appoint a specialist hate crime advisor and officer."
He adds, "I can assure everyone that in Suffolk resources are being put in the right place to address hate crime incidents. The constabulary are doing a lot of work and is being supported by local authorities and other agencies involved."
Commissioner Passmore also stresses on the importance of reporting incidents, either by the victim or by people who have witnessed a hate crime. "If we are not aware of the levels of the abusive and unacceptable behaviour then those of us in leadership will not be able to articulate clearly what the challenges are."
"I think it's also important for the general society to call out, report and tell people that this is not the way to behave, be it crime motivated by race, religion, sexuality or gender" he adds
The message he wants to put forward is clear: "If you behave like that you will be caught and prosecuted accordingly"
For those hesitant to report incidents to the police, investment has been put in to create the Suffolk and Norfolk Victim care, an independent body that deals with hate crime incidents. Victims or witnesses can also report crimes anonymously using CrimeStoppers.
"If more and more people are reported and identified then we can allocate resources accordingly and prosecute people based on the evidence we have", Commissioner Passmore says.