Hate crime survey results released
We have released the results of our survey to find out about residents’ experiences of hate crime in Camden.
National research suggests around 60% of hate crimes are not reported to the police, and in Camden hate crime reports have decreased by 35% over the past four years.
We wanted to understand what potential barriers there might be to reporting as well as how we can better support victims.
We received 136 responses to the survey in total. Over half of online survey participants identified that hate crime is motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a personal characteristic, such as actual or perceived race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or gender identity.
However, around three quarters of participants responding to the survey via our community researchers did not understand the term ‘hate crime’. There is a risk that people won’t report if they can’t identify that they have been a victim of a hate crime incident.
Most residents who identified themselves as having certain personal characteristics had experienced a hate crime in their lives, including all those who identified themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT), and the majority who considered themselves to have a disability or said they were Muslim or Jewish.
Our research also found that some residents would not report incidents because they think their experiences are too trivial or that authorities will not or cannot do anything about it. Some fear revenge attacks as a result of reporting.
Councillor Jonathan Simpson, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said: “This research has helped us to learn more about the scale and impact of hate crime in Camden. We will now be using findings to work with our communities and partners to make sure every resident in Camden feels safe and confident in reporting hate crime.”
We are working in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Service and community organisations to ensure victims are given the information and support they need to report hate crimes and that their reports lead to action being taken against perpetrators.
On 18 March we held a hate crime conference for frontline staff from organisations across Camden to develop joined up solutions to tackle hate crime, and we have developed a panel that meets with the police and mainstream and specialist agencies to address high-risk cases.
Getting help
If you would like to speak to someone about hate crime you can call the police to make a report on 101 or 999, or contact one of the following organisations who can make an anonymous report on your behalf:
Camden Community Safety Service 020 7974 4444
Camden Safety Net 020 7974 2526
Camden LGBT Forum 020 7388 5720
Camden People First 020 7388 2007
Hopscotch Asian Women’s Centre 020 7388 8198
Queen’s Crescent Community Association 020 7267 6635
Find out more
Read the hate crime report.