Trafford 'Know Your Justice' Day

10/12/2012

The Trafford ‘Know Your Justice’ Day takes place on Monday 10th December 2012.

The Crown Prosecution Service in the North West working in partnership with Greater Manchester Police, Court Services, Victim Support, Probation and Young Offenders Team have organised the event to give an opportunity for disabled people and those with learning difficulties to become more familiar with the Criminal Justice System.  Our aim is to encourage more people to come forward and report disability hate crimes committed against them.

Guests will visit the Magistrates Court and learn all there is to know about hate crimes and the Criminal Justice System from reporting the initial offence to giving evidence at a trial including the support victims and witnesses receive along the way.

Alison Mutch, Greater Manchester CPS' lead lawyer on disability hate crime, said: "It is extremely important that disabled victims and witnesses have confidence in the Criminal Justice System and feel able to report hate crimes committed against them.

"No one should have to live in fear and we hope that by showing representatives of the disabled community the progress we are making in dealing with disability hate crime we will encourage more people to come forward and report this totally unacceptable behaviour."

Superintendent James Liggett of GMP's Trafford Division said: "We treat the offence of disability hate crime very seriously, and because it is under-reported we want to ensure that there are no barriers getting in the way of victims coming forward. We have trained officers who specialise in investigating this kind of crime, and in dealing with victims, and we work very closely with partner agencies to ensure that they are given all necessary support.

"We want people to understand the Criminal Justice System, and I would encourage them to ask questions at this event to allay any fears they may have. Finally, I would remind victims that we have third party hate crime reporting centres across Greater Manchester if they are not comfortable visiting police stations, and these are advertised on the GMP website."

Matthew Barnes, Information & Communications Officer, Trafford Centre for Independent Living said: "We are very happy to support this event, which is an excellent first step in developing the relationship between the police, partners in the criminal justice system and disabled residents in Trafford.

"Currently, there is a concerning lack of reporting of both hate crimes and hate incidents against disabled people in Trafford, and this event represents an opportunity to bridge this gap and engage with those in the locality whilst supporting education about, and understanding of, hate crime in all its forms."