Rupert Matthews, Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland said:
“Every single day, week in week out, Leicestershire Police does its utmost to protect law-abiding people from crime. It is consistently recognised as one of the top performing forces in England and Wales.
“It would be a travesty if people were to overlook so much excellent work in the wake of some negativity on social media, the result of a campaign to raise awareness of hate crime.
“Unfortunately, I believe some of the material used in the hate crime awareness campaign could be considered ambiguous and may have misled some people. It is vital that it is clear what is and what isn’t a hate crime.
“I am pleased that the Chief Constable and I are in complete agreement on this matter and all the posts were removed swiftly. This issue must not be allowed to detract from so much positive work carried out to combat hatred across the force area.
“I also welcome the review announced yesterday enabling lessons to be learned and improvements adopted. But let’s remember that hate crime is an offence and will not be tolerated in the Leicestershire Police area.”
For more information about hate crime please visit:
https://www.leics.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/hco/hate-crime/
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Media Enquiries: Sallie Blair - 01283 821012 / 07702 541401
Posted on Monday 17th October 2022