Latest figures show that recorded Hate Crime in Leicestershire has fallen by over 18% in the past twelve months.
Welcoming the news, PCC Rupert Matthews said that this reflected the priority placed on this type of crime through his Police and Crime Plan. As part of his ongoing commitment to tackling hate crime effectively, he has announced the launch of a new independent panel to scrutinise the investigation of hate crime incidents.
The Hate Crime Scrutiny Panel will work with the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland PCC and Leicestershire Police to identify ways to improve the investigation of hate crime incidents. It will also work to enhance support for victims throughout the criminal justice journey.
The new panel will be made up of volunteer independent community representatives and will be responsible for evaluating previous hate crime cases to determine any points for improvement.
It will help the PCC to ensure the decisions and action taken by the force are open, transparent and reflect the highest interests of the public.
A new recruitment campaign is now underway to appoint volunteers who reflect the diverse communities of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
Mr Matthews said: "Scrutiny is a key responsibility of all Police and Crime Commissioners, and it is a duty I take very seriously. It is important local people have confidence in our policing services and can trust that robust systems are in place to monitor and, where appropriate, challenge performance.
"Hate crime can have a devastating impact on individuals, families and communities. We owe all victims of hate crime a strong and effective police response and professional support to recover from harm. It is also important that those communities most at risk from hate crime have confidence that everything possible is being done to identify and prosecute perpetrators.
"The Panel will provide honest and constructive feedback to initiate improvements to investigation processes. In turn, I believe that this will encourage more people to come forward and report problems, which is what we want to see. It is important that all hate crime is properly identified and reported so that it can be dealt with as firmly as it should be."
The panel will meet three to four times a year to scrutinise a random selection of non-live cases identified by the Commissioner's office.
Where necessary, members will provide constructive feedback at an organisational level to promote best practice, identify potential policy development or identify training needs.
The Panel will support the work of the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) Strategic Hate Crime Group and the PCC's team will feed findings into the ethics panel.
People interested in joining the Panel, as a volunteer, should click on the link below for details, closing date for applications is 15th March 2024.
Hate Crime Scrutiny Panel (Voluntary Member) - Shared HR Service Centre (tal.net)
