CPS Joins Partners to Launch Manchester Hate Crime Awareness Week

21/01/2013

Nazir Afzal, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the North West marked the start of the Manchester Hate Crime Strategy and Manchester Hate Crime Awareness Week by speaking at an event to launch the campaign at Manchester Town Hall on Monday.

Mr Afzal was joined by other speakers including Tony Lloyd, the new Police and Crime Commissioner for Greater Manchester, Councillor Bernard Priest, Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services for Manchester City Council, Gary Shewan, Assistant Chief Constable for Greater Manchester Police and Andrew Gilliver, Campaigns and Engagement Manager for the Lesbian and Gay Foundation.

Together they outlined the issues surrounding hate crime and identified five key priority areas that the strategy will be focusing on for the next three years. These include preventing hate crime, increasing the reporting of hate crime, effective action against perpetrators, supporting victims of hate crime and improving partnership responses.

Giving the CPS perspective on Hate Crime, the Chief Crown Prosecutor showed a three minute video clip featuring the accounts of hate crime victims and demonstrating the impact that hate crime has had on their lives.  The clips were taken from the Disability Hate Crime and the Racist and Religious Hate Crime Schools packs developed by CPS North West and now being used in schools across the region as well as nationally.

Mr Afzal said: "The CPS is working with organisations including the Anthony Walker Foundation and the National Union of Teachers to prepare hate crime packs to be used in schools. We want to ensure that children are empowered by information and challenge the behaviour of those who think that hate crime is acceptable."

He went on to speak about the far reaching effects that hate crime has on communities. He said:

"The impact of hate crime goes way beyond the individual that the violence is directed at and we are delighted to work on the development of this hate crime strategy.

"In these times of economic austerity, some say that we shouldn't be placing as much focus on hate crime, but they are wrong. We need to focus on the most vulnerable in the society as that is what good societies do."

He added: "We have brought about more prosecutions and successful convictions than ever. Thousands of people are scared to come forward and report hate crimes so let's make sure they're not. It is an issue of power and control. We need to take that power and give it back to the communities we serve."

The hate crime strategy can be found on Manchester City Council's website.