Work to encourage people to stop and also report hate crimes, was approved by members of Brighton and Hove City Council.
A report with recommendations into tackling hate crimes went before the council’s Neighbourhoods, Inclusion, Communities and Equalities Committee today (Tuesday 21 January).
This was prompted by a presentation in October, by the city’s Racial Harassment Forum, into the results of a survey of 250 people on racially motivated hate crime.
Short-term solutions approved at the meeting included a campaign to encourage people to report hate crime incidents, working with organisations to support victims and set up drop in and advice sessions.
A service to help people complete a hate incident form is also recommended in partnership with the police and community safety team.
The committee chair, Labour councillor Emma Daniel, said: “Fundamentally our values are that our residents should feel safe when going about their business, going to work, schools or use the library.
“People want to do whatever they want to that is lawful. They need to be able to do so without harassment.
“It is an important message to send out to people that we believe you and will do all we can to help.”
A long-term recommendation to recruit two advocacy workers to offer support for these communities was identified as a priority in the consultation, particularly Muslim women.
Labour councillor Julie Cattell said that there needed to be sensitivity among different communities.
She highlighted examples in her own experience where people ask for Arabic translation from someone outside their specific community because they are afraid of word spreading.
Other ideas include developing a project to tackle issues including racism in schools.
Another recommendation included recruiting 10 volunteers to speak to community groups from marginalised communities to build trust and confidence.
So far the council has spent £1,999 from its Communities Fund to part-fund a volunteer programme.
The Racial Harassment Forum has successfully bid for money from Comic Relief and is currently awaiting the result of bids to the Aziz Foundation and Home Office hate crime funding stream.
Following a motion to the full council in October officers are working on a glossary of terms or definitions to help those either directly or indirectly affected by, or working to combat, hate crime.
Labour councillor Warren Morgan said: “The thread that runs through this report is ‘report it’.
“It seems reporting is going down but anecdotally, on a national basis, it is not going down.”
He was told that there were growing concerns but that the council had forums for the LGBT and disabled communities, as well as the racial harassment forum, and was looking to see how it could support these communities.
The council is also working through schools to tackle prejudice at a young age.
This is due to be discussed at the Community Safety Partnership meeting in March.
Recorded hate crimes from April to September 2017 compared with the same period for 2018:
Racist incidents and crimes
2017: 280
2018: 277
Religiously-motivated incidents and crimes
2017: 47
2018: 35
Homophobic incidents and crimes
2017: 124
2018: 119
Transphobic incidents and crimes
2017: 24
2018: 26
Disability hate incidents and crimes
2017: 36
2018: 44
Is this a crime? A bit of a long story, sorry.
My partner and I was out walking near the Brighton Marina beach with our dogs. Betty our 2 yr old dog rushed over to a mans dog to play but unfortunately greats the other dog with a little growl. The man kicks out at our dog just missing her. In shock my partner and I run over to confront the man but he hurls abuse at us and finishes it off by says to me I shouldn’t be wearing leggings. Yes I’m a little over weight but it is hard for me to lose weight as I’m on the liver transplant list and it’s hard for me to work out. So this comment really upset me. The next day he bumps into my partner and takes a photo of him saying that my partner had threatened him, which he did not. Later on we bump into him again, this time he is with a friend saying that he has us on his phone threatening him in which I replied, show me. He obviously didn’t because there was no threatening behaviour from us just from him. I said to his friend that this got started because he kicked out at our dog. She sarcastically nods her head and say, oh you are the leggings girl. I’m now frightened to walk my dogs excepecially by myself in case I bump into him and he verbally abuses me again. Please let me know what you think?
Maybe keep your dog under better control in future? Not everyone understands that a “growling dog” does not mean harm.
Your dog was clearly off the lead and not listening to you. This is not an animal under control. You may know it personally, but strangers do not. You need to take other people’s feelings and reactions into account better. Don’t let the dog just run off like that.
I know some people terrified of dogs, so it does not surprise me that you triggered a response like that from this guy.
This issue sounds like it has now go to a different level of ignoring the original issue and turning it into some kind of battle to out do each other on partial facts.
Certainly can’t see any “hate crime” in here. More a case of neither side wanting to apologise.