‘More must be done’ about hate crime as victims suffer in silence

The rapidly changing demographics in York have prompted a major review of policies aimed at preventing persecution among the city’s residents after official figures revealed the ethnic minority population has more than doubled in a decade.

A strategy aimed at preventing hate crimes has been overhauled and the revised document is due to be approved by York Council’s cabinet on April 2 in the hope of preventing mounting racial tensions in the city.

Senior police officers in North Yorkshire have admitted as many as two-thirds of offences are going unreported, prompting fears that a relatively low number of documented offences in York is masking a far wider problem.

York Council’s cabinet member for crime and stronger communities, Coun Dafydd Williams, confirmed a wide-ranging programme of education will be undertaken with pupils at the city’s schools as well as convicted offenders to prevent the problem of hate crimes escalating. He stressed that while cases of physical violence are thankfully rare, casual verbal abuse is far more prevalent and has led to victims often accepting it as part of their daily lives.

He added: “There has always been a perception that York is a white, middle-class city, but things are changing significantly. We are aware that we have to act now to ensure we have the support available to anyone who is the victim of hate crimes. The biggest problems are that people do not know where to go to report a crime, and are also worried that they will be taken seriously. The actual number of reported offences may be relatively small, but anecdotally the issue is far wider.”

While other groups including the lesbian, gay and bisexual community, the disabled and different religious faiths have all been victims of hate crimes in York, the greatest number of offences has been linked to race. Figures from North Yorkshire Police have shown there were 121 reported hate crimes in the city during the last financial year, with 99 of the offences being racially motivated. The figure is significantly lower than the 164 hate crimes which were reported in 2008/09 when the strategy was first launched.

But the sudden surge in ethnic minorities living in the city has led to fears the rapid demographic changes could lead to tensions between existing communities and the new arrivals. York is the second fastest growing location nationally and ranks behind only Milton Keynes. Its population has increased by nine per cent since 2001 and now stands at 202,000.

The £750m expansion of York University has been attributed in part to the rising numbers of ethnic minorities, although the city has attracted many new residents as it remains one of the most desirable locations to live in the country. A study in 2010 revealed there were 78 different first languages being spoken in the city.

Police confirmed in January that a network of so-called signposting centres was to be piloted in several districts in North Yorkshire to act as a first point of contact for anyone who has been targeted because of their race, religion, sexuality or disability.

Assistant Chief Constable Iain Spittal, responsible for operational policing, told the Yorkshire Post that national research had shown as many as 70 per cent of hate crimes go unreported. There were 228 reported hate crime incidents in North Yorkshire last year, a fall of about 30 offences on the previous 12 months.

Mr Spittal acknowledged, however, a need to collate more intelligence on the offences to gain a clearer understanding of the problems which are faced by victims.

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