A hateful crime

THE targeting of the disabled for violence, harassment and abuse, as described by Mencap, paints a very unflattering picture of British society and law enforcement. It shows that despite strides made by the police in the way they treat women and ethnic minorities, they are still not taking sufficiently seriously this aggression towards handicapped people.

Much as the Macpherson report into the death of the black London teenager Stephen Lawrence led to some difficult lessons for the Metropolitan Police, so should the death of Fiona Pilkington and her daughter, Francecca, change the entire way crimes against disabled people are approached. The appalling circumstances in which these two women died in 2007, after a decade of sustained abuse and harassment, and the death of David Askew last year, after being plagued in a similar manner, came after police failed to put a stop to the behaviour of local yobs.

Reform will require a combination of political pressure, a clear lead from chief constables and a cultural shift among those rank-and-file officers who are dragging their heels. If achieved, it will mean bullies and thugs will no longer be able to act with impunity in some neighbourhoods and it will improve the quality of life for some of the most vulnerable people in society.

This type of work must go beyond the world of politics and the police, however. Today’s schoolchildren must have it drummed into them that just because someone has problems moving their limbs or speaking they are no different to any other youngster.

Playground insults which highlight physical or mental impairments should be seen as just as much of a taboo as racial slurs. Only then, and with police taking a tougher approach, can society begin to be a bit more confident that the tragedies of the last four years will not be repeated in future generations.