AQW 29560/17-22
Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry
Tabled Date: 10/02/2022
Answered On Date: 22/02/2022
Priority Written: No
Question:
To ask the Minister of Justice (i) for her assessment of the rise in the number of recorded hate crimes, particularly racist hate crimes; and (ii) to detail what steps she is taking to address this rise.
Answer:
The most recent hate crime statistics, published by PSNI in September 2021, shows there were more hate crimes recorded across each hate motivation strand (racist, homophobic, sectarian, disability, faith/religion and transphobic) when compared with the previous twelve months. Recorded hate incidents also increased across all motivation strands, with the exception of transphobic incidents, when compared with the previous twelve months. Whilst levels of racist hate crime had trended downwards since 2014/15, this has seen an increase since 2018/19 and is currently the most recorded motivation. Hate Crime is generally underreported, so an increase in reported incidents could indicate a growing confidence in the system to report such matters, in addition to increases due to how some people have decided to target protected groups, such as race, in response to issues such as the protocol, covid pandemic and increase in new comers to Northern Ireland. Addressing hate crime continues to be a priority for me. This requires a collaborative response with partners in relation to tackling enabling factors of intolerance, prejudice and hate, as well as a robust legislative response to ensure action is taken against offenders, where necessary, and to increase victims’ confidence in the system that brings offenders to justice. In response to Judge Marrinan’s recommendations on strengthening hate crime legislation, I have published phase one of a public consultation to inform the development of a Hate Crime Bill. Phase two of the consultation will follow later in the year with the intention of introducing a Hate Crime Bill in the next mandate. This Bill will improve the criminal justice process for victims of hate crime, including race hate crime victims; help inform rehabilitative work and act as a deterrent for potential perpetrators; and reduce the risk of reoffending and further victimisation. On an operational level, Policing and Community Safety Partnerships (PCSPs), which are jointly funded by the Department of Justice and the Northern Ireland Policing Board, have a role in addressing hate crime, and the fear of hate crime through specific local Hate Crime projects. For example, provision of support to initiatives raising awareness of the impact of hate crimes and training projects which engage minority community members on bias, language and stereotypes and provides strategies for “speaking up” against hate crime. My Department also chairs the multi-agency Hate Crime Delivery Group (HCDG), which assists delivery of the strategic priorities in the draft Programme for Government 2016-2021, in relation to working across government to develop new approaches to dealing with harm and vulnerability, in this context hate crime. The HCDG monitors trends in hate crime and delivers a Hate Crime Action Plan which aims to ensure connectivity between partners and coordinate activities to address hate crime across Northern Ireland. My officials have also have been working with other Departments to tackle the enabling factors of hate crime and align respective strategies and policies, for example, with The Executive Office (TEO) to connect the TEO Racial Equality Strategy and Good Relations Programme with my Department’s work on Community Safety.
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