Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)
Printable version E-mail this to a friend

Commission publishes research on targeted crime

New research released today by the Equality and Human Rights Commission shows that despite a slight decrease in the number of hate crimes, far too many people are still being targeted for crime and violence because of who they are.

The regulator found that some police forces, local councils and social landlords did not always recognise their role in preventing such incidents. It says that the evidence is a stark reminder to all public authorities of their duty to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful harassment, advance equality and foster good relations.

While the number of hate crimes recorded by the police service in England and Wales has fallen to 47,229 in 2010 from 50,868 in 20091, the Commission believes that there is still significant under reporting of some types of targeted violence such as disability related harassment.

The Commission’s analysis of British Crime Survey data from 2007-2010 shows that the victim believed that the incident was racially motivated in 15 per cent of incidents reported by Asian / Asian British people and 10 per cent of incidents reported by Black / Black British people; or motivated by homophobia in 12 per cent of the incidents reported by lesbian, gay or bisexual people.

A higher proportion of lesbian, gay or bisexual people had reported being the victim of a crime than heterosexual people. Eleven per cent of lesbian, gay or bisexual people who had reported a crime had experienced threats of violence compared to four per cent of heterosexual people.

Additional research into action on targeted violence shows a mixed picture of what more than 200 public authorities are doing to address this problem. Most (95 per cent) respondents acknowledge they need to help people report targeted violence. Yet nearly a fifth (18 per cent) did not recognise their role in preventing such incidents and nearly half (44 per cent) did not think they had a role to play in working with perpetrators of targeted violence.

Mark Hammond, Chief Executive of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said:

“Based on this evidence, we have made a number of recommendations to public authorities so that they can improve the way they tackle targeted violence. We’ve also highlighted the successful approaches have been shown to help turn good intentions into positive outcomes for the victims of targeted violence.”

For more press information contact the Commission’s media office on 020 3117 0255, out of hours 07767 272 818.

For general enquiries please contact the Commission’s national helpline: England 0845 604 6610, Scotland 0845 604 5510 or Wales 0845 604 8810.

Notes to editors

True Vision website, ACPO hate crime data for 2010. 20 October 2011

View the Commission’s two research reports

The Equality Act 2010 includes a new Public Sector Equality Duty (“the duty” or PSED). It builds on the existing Public Sector Duties for disability, gender, and race established in legislation which is being replaced by new provisions the Equality Act 2010. The new duty will cover all the protected grounds: age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and sexual orientation. The duty is twofold: there is a general duty in the Act which is underpinned by specific duties in Regulations that aim to help public authorities meet the general duty. The general duty requires public authorities to have due regard to the need to:

  • Eliminate discrimination and other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010
  • Advance equality of opportunity
  • Foster good relations.

The general duty will apply in England, Scotland and Wales and there will be different specific duties in all three nations to take into account devolved matters.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is a statutory body established under the Equality Act 2006, which took over the responsibilities of Commission for Racial Equality, Disability Rights Commission and Equal Opportunities Commission. It is the independent advocate for equality and human rights in Britain. It aims to reduce inequality, eliminate discrimination, strengthen good relations between people, and promote and protect human rights. The Commission enforces equality legislation on age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, and encourages compliance with the Human Rights Act. It also gives advice and guidance to businesses, the voluntary and public sectors, and to individuals.

Spotlight on women at Serco – Anita’s story