A Hate Crime is any criminal offence, which is perceived by any person, as being motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a personal characteristic such as age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, race and faith.
A Hate Crime can include:
Northumbria Police has signed a ten point promise to stand by people with a learning disability to end hate crime.
Northumbria is amongst many forces committed to the charity Mencap’s ten promises that will make a huge difference for the victims of disability hate crime.
Stand by me is a national campaign led by Mencap to raise awareness of the effects of disability hate crime and how the justice system can improve its services.
Mencap will work with Northumbria to develop practical guidance to build on the good work that is taking place to support victims with a learning disability.
Make sure that information is available and presented in a suitable form
Get better evidence and increase convictions by allowing more time for interviews, particularly where the victim has difficulty communicating
Understand how to identify if someone has a learning disability
Listen to, respect and involve families, carers and support staff of disabled people
Challenge discriminatory attitudes and language among fellow officers
Ensure that victims are kept up to date with the progress of the case once they have reported a crime
Recognise that disability hate crime is as harmful as other types of hate crime
Don’t label disability hate crime as anti-social behaviour – identify the crime and deal with it
Hold regular beat meetings and ensure they are open to disabled people
Display the Stand by me promises where everyone can see them.