The Home Secretary has announced that the Home Office will provide funding for specialist training so police call handlers can identify if a hate crime has been committed and the best way to respond.
The funding is just one of a raft of measures the Government are taking to tackle hate crime. Home Secretary Sajid Javid and the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government James Brokenshire will co-chair two roundtables to discuss Islamophobic and Antisemitic hate crime as part of our broader work to respond to concerns from within communities.
Meanwhile, Baroness Williams hosted a roundtable with charity Changing Faces to discuss what further action can be taken to help protect people with disfigurements and visible differences.
Click here for more information about the call handlers funding and roundtables while comments on from the Home Secretary and Baroness Williams can be found below.
Home Secretary Sajid Javid said:
Hate crimes are totally unacceptable and have no place in British society. I understand the fear, anguish and anger they can cause.
Those who have the courage to report these vile crimes deserve as much support as possible. That is why we have provided funding to give police call handlers expert training to spot the signs and respond compassionately.
I will also be asking my Anti-Muslim hate crime and Antisemitism roundtables to identify what more we can do to stamp out hate crime.
Minister for Counter Extremism Baroness Williams said:
No one should feel the only way to deal with hateful comments is to develop a thick skin. It was truly shocking to hear the venomous abuse aimed at innocent people just because they look different.
During the roundtable I was pleased with the progress social media companies have taken but I am clear we must all go further in tackling this problem and it is something we will address in our updated Hate Crime Action Plan.