New figures show West Yorkshire is still the UK's disability hate crime hotspot

Shocking new figures have revealed that West Yorkshire has retained its position as the worst place in the country for disability hate crime.
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For the third year running, an investigation has found West Yorkshire Police received more reports of disability hate crime than any other force across England and Wales.

The new figures - branded "hugely disturbing" by charity chiefs - show that for 2019-20, the force recorded a total of 868 disability hate crimes, almost double the 477 total of the second highest force, London’s Metropolitan Police.

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West Yorkshire Police has been named the force with the highest number of disability hate crimes for the third year running.West Yorkshire Police has been named the force with the highest number of disability hate crimes for the third year running.
West Yorkshire Police has been named the force with the highest number of disability hate crimes for the third year running.
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Yet despite the region's record high total - which West Yorkshire Police claim is partly due to encouraging more victims to to come forward - only six of the crimes reported lead to charges being brought

That figure is even fewer than the 11 total charges from the year before, when the force clocked up 816 disability hate crimes.

The investigation was carried out by learning disability charities Leonard Cheshire and United Response, ahead of National Disability Hate Crime Awareness Week, which starts on Saturday October 10.

The charities annually submit Freedom of Information requests to 45 UK forces and this year 36 responded - all showing a continue rise in incidents, with online crime soaring by a staggering 46 per cent.

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This year’s total count for West Yorkshire represents what the charities call an “exponential” rise of 172 per cent on the 319 crimes reported in 2016-17 and adds up to a stark average of more than two crimes every day between April 1 2019 and 31 March 2020.

For this region, online disability hate crimes also rose by 21 per cent this year, with 74 digital crimes reported to police - a figure which the charities suggest “scarcely scratches the surface” of the true scale of online abuse targeted at disabled people.

The data also showed half - 446 - of West Yorkshire's reported crimes were classed as 'violence towards the victim' - the highest number of all the forces - but West Yorkshire Police said the vast majority of these did not actually involve physical violence.

It comes after United Response last year opened a dedicated disability hate crime reporting centre in Seacroft, together with West Yorkshire Police, Leeds City Council and Stop Hate UK, in response to the ongoing rises in crimes.

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Joanne Silkstone, United Response’s learning and development manager for the north, said: "It’s hugely disturbing that some of West Yorkshire’s most vulnerable people are continually victims of these mindless hate crimes.

"Year-on-year increases in disability hate crimes in the region simply must not be ignored – nor should the fact that the area consistently has the highest crime rate in the country."

She said it was a "real concern" that just six charges were brought in 2019-2020.

"It shows much more needs to be done to help prevent crimes slipping through the cracks.

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"The reporting and judicial process for disability hate crimes can be too confusing and intimidating for people with learning disabilities to easily and confidently pursue, meaning cases remain unreported and victims suffer in silence.

"We are working with the police and Crown Prosecution Service to empower victims to follow these processes through, from crime to courtroom."

A joint statement by United Response and Leonard Cheshire called for authorities, the Government and online platforms to take this "abhorrent" crime more seriously.

It said: "Offenders must face appropriate repercussions and be educated on the impact of their cowardly acts, while increased funding for advocacy services is also urgently needed."

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In response to the figures, Chief Inspector Chris Matthews of West Yorkshire Police, said: “Hate crime of any form is abhorrent and we have been working hard with partners including United Response to encourage victims to come forwards and ensure such offences are accurately recorded, helping in part to explain the high volume of offences in the West Yorkshire area.

“It is really important that we do record crime accurately as this helps us understand the demands we face. It remains the case that West Yorkshire Police is one of only four forces to be graded as ‘Outstanding’ by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Service (HMICFRS) for our crime data integrity.

“The rate of increase in offences being recorded has stabilised with the 819 offences recorded in 2018/19 and 868 in 2019/20.”

He added: “We do work closely with Hate Incident Reporting Centres for third party or anonymous reports, encouraging more people to come forward so we understand the impact and true picture within the county, and very much view it as a positive thing that victims feel empowered to come forward and that as a victim focused organisation, we are recording their experiences accurately.

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“Of the offences recorded, it should be noted that 92 per cent of those listed under the category ‘Violence Against Person’ did not feature any physical violence against the victim, and were instead offences such as stalking, harassment or non-injury offences.

“We continue to work hard to support victims and employ specialist Hate Crime Coordinators across districts to assist investigating officers in identifying perpetrators, providing after care support as well as engaging with local communities.

“The force also continues to support the Annual Hate Crime Awareness week and has created a Hate Crime Training Package for call handlers and frontline officers to raise awareness and help them identify disability hate crimes and support victims.”

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Thank you

Laura Collins