Unreported hate crimes 'happening every day' - research

Published by Jon Land for 24dash.com in Housing and also in Communities

Hate crime should not only be associated with violent racism but with "ordinary" members of the public, a new study revealed today.

Scientists looking into stereotypes about hate crime said although the term conjures up images of violent acts by extremists, their research suggested it was often lower-level forms of harassment.

Dr Neil Chakraborti and Mr Jon Garland, criminologists at the University of Leicester, said a deeper understanding is needed of what hate crimes are, who carries them out, what their impact on a victim is, and how they are dealt with.

The results of the research, and recommendations for future criminal justice policy, have been published in the study "Hate Crime: Impact, Causes and Responses", the university said today.

The research found many "hate" crimes are not necessarily carried out by extremists, but by "normal" people who may not necessarily hate their victim.

Dr Chakraborti said: "We would argue that hate crimes are acts of prejudice towards an individual's perceived identity.

"They are often believed to be 'message crimes' designed to intimidate the victim's wider minority community.

"However, contrary to popular opinion, these crimes are not always carried out by right-wing political extremists.

"It is common for these crimes to be committed by 'ordinary' members of the public whose prejudices may have been reinforced by the mainstreaming of far-right ideology, such as the 'British jobs for British workers' slogan.

"It is also important to realise that it is not just minority ethnic or faith communities who are targeted - victims include gay and transgender communities as well as the disabled."

The research also found although more violent examples of hate crime are well-publicised, low-level harassment on a daily basis often goes unpublicised and also unreported, despite the effects on its victims.

Dr Chakraborti and Mr Garland undertook several case studies, looking into why it is wrong to associate hate crime solely with violent racism.

They also looked at what types of people are responsible for committing hate crime and the possible merits of higher sentences for perpetrators.

Mr Garland said: "What the research suggests is that we need a deeper understanding of what hate crimes actually are, their impact on the victim, who carried them out and, crucially, how they are dealt with by the criminal justice system.

"There is some evidence that the policing of hate crimes has improved, with the police now prioritising the investigation of such crimes.

"Relations between the police and minority communities are still problematic, though, and this is one of the main reasons that the majority of hate crimes are not reported to the police.

"This lack of reporting makes it difficult to accurately ascertain the exact level of these crimes.

"What we can say is that, from our research, it appears that current levels of hate crime are having devastating effects upon victims."