Chief Constable Simon Cole and Leicestershire Police & Crime Commissioner Lord Willy Bach have urged the public to report all incidents of hate crime to Leicestershire Police in a joint interview with Radio Leicester this morning (Thursday 30 June).
On a typical day Leicestershire Police receives between two and three reports of hate crime, around 900 reports per year. This trend has continued in recent days but there has been anecdotal information that members of various local communities have been experiencing harassment and verbal abuse.
Chief Constable Simon Cole added: “We take allegations of hate crime very seriously. The way that we investigate these reports is monitored by an independent hate crime scrutiny panel. As part of the Stamp it Out campaign, partners across Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland have committed to working together to ensure local communities are as safe as they can be.
“Hate crime can have a really significant impact on victims and we believe that it is something that is under reported."
Lord Bach said: “We are watching the situation closely. There are a variety of reporting routes available and I would encourage both victims and witnesses to use them. Hate crime will absolutely not be tolerated in our community.”
You can report a hate crime either by phoning 101, going along to your local station, or via the True Vision website www.report-it.org.uk.
For further information on hate crime visit https://leics.police.uk/hate-crime
Posted on Thursday 30th June 2016