Landlord takes on new crime role

Published by Ross Macmillan for 24dash.com in Housing and also in Communities, Local Government

A housing association in the West Midlands has taken on a new role in a bid to tackle hate crime.

Accord Housing Association - which manages more than 5,500 homes - has been endorsed as a 'third party reporting centre' by West Midlands Police, meaning that victims of hate crime can now report their concerns directly to Accord staff.

Hate crime is defined as a crime where a victim is targeted because of their race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, disability or transgender identity.

As a third party reporting centre, staff from Accord Housing Association will be able to log incidents of hate crime on an independent website called report-it.org.uk, making reporting the crime as simple as possible for victims.

Reports will then be sent to West Midlands Police via the report-it.org.uk website and victims will be contacted by an officer within 12 hours.

Accord Housing Association staff, who have been specially trained by West Midlands Police, will also be able to offer confidential support and guidance to victims as part of the initiative.

Stuart Rochelle, community team manager at Accord Housing Association, said: “We are committed to eliminating discrimination and promoting equality and by becoming a third party reporting centre we will be able to help victims of hate crime report incidents safely and confidently.

“We are delighted to be working with West Midlands Police, and the website report-it.org.uk, on this initiative and hope that it will encourage people who are, or have, experienced hate crime to come forward."

PC Tariq Mahmood, from West Midlands Police, said: "The aim of third party reporting centres is to provide a supportive environment for victims so they feel confident to report hate crime. Accurate reporting of hate crime is essential to us understanding the impact on the individuals and communities concerned.

“It is crucial that the organisations we work with to provide a third party link to victims are willing to meet the standards and expectations required to deliver that service.”