Latest news with #HomeOfficeCountingRules
Belfast Telegraph
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
Race hate crimes in NI highest since records began
anti-immigrant disorder broke out in Belfast, saw a particularly significant increase in racially-motivated crimes. Official statistics from the police published today shows that there were 454 more race incidents and 349 more race crimes recorded in comparison to the previous year. There were 1,807 race incidents and 1,188 race crimes documented in the 12 months from 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025. These are the highest financial year levels recorded since the data series began in 2004/05. The 349 race incidents recorded in August 2024 was the single highest monthly level in the data series, around twice the previous monthly high of 171 recorded in July 2024. Incidents reported to police that month were also more than four times the level seen the previous August. The disorder which broke out in August, followed the Southport attack in which three young children were stabbed to death at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class. Online speculation led to false rumours the attacker was an asylum seeker and right-wing violence broke out after a vigil for the victims. Trouble spread to Belfast, where there were attacks on businesses and homes following an anti-immigration protest organised by loyalists at Belfast City Hall. More than 20 individuals were arrested in connection with the ensuing violence. Belfast City policing district which, between April 2024 and March 2025, accounted for around half of all race incidents and crimes recorded in Northern Ireland, showed an increase in incidents (271) and crimes (224). Hate crime is defined as any criminal offence which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards someone based on a personal characteristic - in this case, race. The PSNI states that not all hate motivated incidents will result in the recording of a crime, as what has occurred in the incident may not be of the level of severity that would result in a notifiable offence being recorded. 'Where crimes with a hate motivation are recorded they are classified according to the Home Office Counting Rules and form a subset of the overall police recorded crime statistics,' the PSNI ruls state. Between April 2024 and March 2025, there were more race and faith/religion hate incidents when compared with the previous twelve months. Crimes with a race hate motivation saw the largest increase, with a smaller increase seen in faith/religion crimes. Sectarian crimes saw the largest decrease, with smaller decreases in sexual orientation, disability and transgender identity crimes. Six of the eight highest monthly levels of race incidents in the data series were recorded between May and October 2024. There was a decrease of 181 sectarian incidents, while the number of crimes fell by 142. Incidents and crimes related to sexual orientation decreased, with incidents falling from 384 and 362 and crimes from 241 t 219. Disability-related incidents also declined, dropping from 97 to 68, while related crimes fell from 57 to 40. In contrast, faith and religion-related incidents rose from 77 to 87, with associated crimes increasing from 48 to 65. Transgender identity-related incidents saw a slight decrease from 68 to 63, while crimes dropped from 41 to 35.
The Independent
06-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Police ‘acted reasonably' in Allison Pearson ‘hate crime' case, report finds
Essex Police 'acted reasonably' when it investigated a journalist for alleged incitement of racial hatred over a post online that has since been deleted, a report has found. Daily Telegraph columnist Allison Pearson said she was wearing her dressing gown when she was spoken to by two constables from Essex Police on Remembrance Sunday, about a year-old post on social media platform X. News of the visit sparked a backlash, including from former Conservative prime ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, who both called the incident 'appalling', and X owner Elon Musk. But an independent review by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) has concluded that decisions were made 'in good-faith and without fear or favour'. In his findings, Mark Hobrough, the NPCC's hate crime lead and chief constable of Gwent Police, said the force 'acted reasonably and in accordance with the Home Office Counting Rules to record a crime complaint.' The behaviour of the officer who spoke to Ms Pearson had been 'exemplary', his report added. 'He did not become defensive or challenging and remained calm' after the journalist 'began to challenge the officer's actions', the report, which redacts Pearson's name, said. 'She implied that a complaint would be made to the Chief Constable by the Telegraph newspaper.' The officer had already made one unsuccessful attempt to speak to the columnist before visiting her 'early on a Sunday morning', according to the report. Responding to the report on X, Ms Pearson said: 'Here are the police marking their own homework in my case which was widely viewed as utterly outrageous. 'A clear breach of my right to freedom of expression.' She did not attend a voluntary police interview and the case was closed when the Crown Prosecution Service concluded there was no realistic prospect of conviction for the offence of stirring up racial hatred under the Public Order Act or the Communications Act. Some press reporting of the incident inaccurately referred to a 'non-hate crime incident', the report added, 'despite a clear explanation' that officers were investigating an offence of potentially inciting racial hatred online. Responding to the report, a spokesperson for Essex Police said: 'In November last year we launched an investigation into an alleged offence of inciting racial hatred relating to a social media post. 'We acted appropriately and proportionately and investigated the matter which resulted in us taking no further action.' Chief Constable Mark Hobrough said: 'The reviewers concluded that the decision by Essex Police to record and investigate an allegation of the criminal offence of stirring up racial hatred was legitimate, in line with Home Office Crime Recording Rules. 'There is a high bar for prosecuting communication offences, which is substantially different than the grounds for recording and investigating an allegation. 'Therefore there are many complaints that pass the test for recording and investigation but do not reach the threshold for prosecution once investigations are complete. 'There are strongly held and competing views on hate speech and the criminal justice response to it. 'This matter demonstrates the complexity within the legal framework around hate crime and communication offences.'
