Report reveals police are failing to tackle disability hate crime

20 June 2011

Learning Disability Week 2011 is taking place between Monday 20 and Sunday 26 June. This year, Mencap is launching a three-year campaign to tackle disability hate crime, called 'Stand by me'.

Richard Hawkes, Chief Executive of disability charity Scope, said:

“The findings of this report are extremely worrying, and despite previous commitments, it appears that there is still a general lack of understanding about disability hate crime from the police, the organisation that should play a central role in combating it.

“The key areas of concern it brings into the spotlight are a lack of any disability–specific investigation procedures and the fact many police services use the same procedures to investigate disability hate crime as other crimes. That is likely to have a negative impact on a disabled person's experience with the criminal justice system, undermine quality of the evidence the police collect, and that could ultimately reduce the potential for a successful conviction.

“We have known for some time that many disabled people experience abuse and harassment regularly. In order to help stamp it out the police must identify low level 'anti-social' crime early and nip it in the bud, before it escalates into more serious forms of crime. And, when crimes are reported there is the expertise within the police and wider criminal justice system to make sure that disabled people are properly supported at each stage from investigation to trial.”

Link:

'Stand by me': http://www.mencap.org.uk/campaigns/learning-disability-week

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