Rise in hate crime in Devon and Cornwall

Nearly 2,000 incidents last year

Devon and Cornwall's police and crime commissioner says there's no excuse for hate crime - and that people will receive support from the police if they are on the receiving end of such attacks.

It comes amidst a rise in reports of hate crimes in the region and after several Asian people were targeted in covid-related incidents at the start of the pandemic. Between June 2019 and May 2020, Devon & Cornwall Police received 1,856 reports of hate crimes, the vast majority race-related.  It's a small rise from 1,800 attacks the year before, but a separate report from disability charities Leonard Cheshire and United Response shows a 20 per cent increase in reported disability hate crimes in the region.

Most hate crime in the region is in Plymouth, with 545 reports last year, followed by South Devon with 393, Exeter, East & Mid Devon with 347, West Cornwall with 216, East Cornwall with 185 and North & West Devon with 163.

The police and crime commissioner has been heavily involved in Pride events, diversity festivals and Blue Light Days which have been vital to ensure people learning disabilities know what to do when such an attack takes place.

Commissioner Alison Hernandez said: “As with everything, covid has had an effect on this issue – particularly at the start of the pandemic when at least six attacks on Asian people in Exeter were reported to Devon and Cornwall Police. One victim, a 19-year-old Chinese university student, was told 'go back to your own country – you must have coronavirus' before being punched, kicked, spat at and threatened with a knife.

“This abhorrent crime and its equally abhorrent perpetrators are the precise reason we need to raise awareness of hate crime.”

A hate crime is any offence which is perceived by the victim - or any other person - to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on an aspect someone’s identity. These aspects are known as ‘protected characteristics’ and fall into six main categories – disability, nationality, race, religion, sexual orientation and transgender identity. Hate crimes can include threatening behaviour, assault, robbery damage to property, inciting others to commit hate crimes and harassment.

Commissioner Hernandez added that although Covid may have prompted a small number of hate crimes in our region, in other ways it has brought the communities of Devon and Cornwall closer together. She said: "The pandemic has also given rise to a great amount of community spirit with towns, villages and streets joining forces to look out for vulnerable neighbours by helping with shopping, collecting prescriptions and alleviating social isolation.

“It’s also important to say that while the rise in reported hate crimes in Devon and Cornwall is certainly something that needs addressing, it is also very positive because it indicates that more victims have greater confidence to call the authorities and seek help."
 

By reporting a hate crime/incident to the police, it will be recorded and investigated as appropriate. The minimum detail required to make a report of a hate crime/incident is:

• What happened
• Where it happened
• When it happened
• Evidence is not needed to report a hate crime.

However, where evidence is found which may show that hostility or prejudice has been a factor in the circumstances of a crime, this will be taken into account if the case is taken to court and may contribute to an increased sentence. The police and crime commissioner's office says victims reporting hate crime will be taken seriously and that it is important that hate crime is reported otherwise the police are unable to do anything about it.