On 28 November 2018, the Equality and Diversity Forum held a seminar to explore the case for legal reform of hate crime, supported by the Aziz Foundation. The seminar set out to identify current concerns and the priorities for reform, given disparities in how different equality characteristics are treated under the law, in the context of the Law Commission’s new review of hate crime law.
Check out our blog about the day for the key takeaways from the seminar, or view the full presentations below. To find out more about this issue, please sign up to our email list on hate crime for updates.
The day provided an opportunity to hear from academics with relevant expertise on the evidence base for reform, and from practitioners working directly with people experiencing hate crime, in order to support greater shared understanding of the key issues and priorities in the context of national policy and policing responses to hate crime.
The seminar enabled participants to discuss what works well in the current approach, what reforms are needed and their top priorities for action. There was also an opportunity to look in more detail at the pros and cons of treating misogyny as a hate crime.
Presentations
Professor Mark Walters, University of Sussex.
Mark’s presentation sets out the current law on hate crime, the justice gap in how it is addressed in relation to different equality concerns, and the case for legal reform of hate crime law.
Nick Antjoule, Galop
Nick’s presentation covers hate crime issues and questions for legal reform with particular reference to the concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.
Henrietta Doyle, Inclusion London & Ruth Bashall, Stay Safe East
Henrietta and Ruth’s presentation covers hate crime issues and questions for legal reform with particular reference to the concerns of disabled people.
Kate Yeung, Home Office
Kate’s presentation covers policy issues from the Home Office on hate crime, with reference to the Home Office’s Action Plan.
Mark Watson, Cheshire Crimebeat Co-ordinator, NPCC Gypsy/Roma Traveller portfolio
Mark’s presentation covers the role of the National Police Chief Council and policing of hate crime, including experiences with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller hate crime.
Professor David Ormerod, Law Commission
David’s presentation sets out the Law Commission’s work on legal reform of hate crime law, with reference to their review in 2014, terms of reference for the 2019 review and opportunities arising.
Sue Fish, Former Chief Constable, Nottinghamshire Police
Sue’s presentation covers Nottinghamshire Police’s work to treat misogyny as a hate crime and learning from this approach.
Associate Professor Loretta Trickett, Nottingham Trent University
Loretta’s presentation covers the evaluation of the Nottinghamshire police initiative on misogyny as a hate crime and issues arising.
