The CPS produces an annual report on our performance in prosecuting hate crimes. This gives us, our partners and other interested parties an opportunity to assess and understand the progress we have made.
That’s the strong message from Knowsley Council, Merseyside Police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) following the sentencing of James Newton, 27, from Kirkby, who posted racist and hateful social media comments on a local Facebook Group.
Hate crimes often have a disproportionate impact on the victim because they are being targeted for a personal characteristic. We recognise that hate crime not only impacts the individual victim but also the wider community. Hate incidents as one-offs or a related series of events can send reverberations through communities, just as they can reinforce established patterns of prejudice and discrimination. This is why it is so important for hate crime to be prosecuted effectively.
This guidance sets out the factors to be considered when reviewing cases and prosecuting offences classified as racist or religious hate crime. It also addresses the approach to be taken in other cases where race or religion are a factor.
Hate crimes often have a disproportionate impact on the victim because they are being targeted for a personal characteristic. We recognise that hate crime not only impacts the individual victim but also the wider community. Hate incidents as one-offs or a related series of events can send reverberations through communities, just as they can reinforce established patterns of prejudice and discrimination. This is why it is so important for hate crime to be prosecuted effectively.
This guidance applies to the prosecution of all hate crime. Its purpose is to ensure that charging decisions are made swiftly and efficiently, with prosecutors focusing on the core evidence required to determine whether the evidential test is met. Where that threshold for prosecution is satisfied, then a prosecution decision should not be delayed – any supporting evidence can be obtained subsequently.
Dear Chief Officers / Chief Crown Prosecutors,
We write in our capacity as hate crime portfolio leads for the CPS and NPCC and would like to begin by thanking you for your joint efforts in making hate crime a priority.
Disability hate crime is one of the most pervasive and underreported forms of hate crime. It is an insidious crime that can manifest itself in overt violence or subtle, yet deeply harmful, acts of prejudice and targeting. Its impact on individuals and communities remains far-reaching and profound.
