No Place in Scotland for Corrosive Crimes of Hate, Solicitor General Warns
CROWN OFFICE
24 MARCH 2010
No Place in Scotland for Corrosive Crimes of Hate, Solicitor General Warns
Those who commit corrosive "hate crimes" based on prejudice about a victim's disability, sexuality or transgender identity will face the full force of the law, the Solicitor General, Frank Mulholland QC, announced today.
Mr Mulholland officially launched the prosecution policy for the Offences (Aggravation by Prejudice) (Scotland) Act 2009, which came into force today. The Act adds new legal aggravations for disability, sexual orientation and transgender identity to those that already exist for racial and religious prejudice.
The Solicitor General was speaking at the Hate Crime Conference, jointly hosted with Ian Latimer, Chief Constable of Northern Constabulary and Chair of the ACPOS Diversity Business Area.
Speaking ahead of the conference, the Solicitor General said:
"I am delighted to take this opportunity to introduce the new prosecution policy which we will apply to hate crime in Scotland. All crimes of prejudice are intolerable and all those who commit such crimes will face a robust prosecution policy.
"Hate crime is completely corrosive. It offends, undermines and divides. There is no place in the Scotland of today for crimes of hate and bigotry. The new provisions will make it easier for Prosecutors and police working with communities to tackle the damage that hate crime causes, to bring its perpetrators to justice."
"This conference has also given some of the groups most affected by crimes of prejudice a chance to come together and discuss their experiences and hopes for the future. Such a dialogue between police, prosecutors and Scotland's communities is essential and helps to ensure that our efforts are targeted at the areas where there is most need for change."
Mr Ian Latimer, Chief Constable of Northern Constabulary and ACPOS Lead for Equality and Diversity said:
"We in the Scottish Police Service are committed to providing a quality of service that is fair, accessible and meets the needs of everyone in Scotland, which ensures they live in safety and are treated with dignity and respect.
"Hate Crime has occurred in its many guises for as long as crime has been recorded and investigated. It cuts across many elements of society, is pervasive and damages communities. The police service response must therefore be proactive and robust whilst aiming to tackle harassment, intimidation and abuse suffered, due to prejudice against individuals or indeed any social group.
"In practice this also means working in partnership to prevent Hate Crime, and to gain the trust and confidence of victims and witnesses, encouraging them to come forward and report these crimes, and to record information accurately to give the service a true picture of what is happening within our communities, particularly within those vulnerable groups who are most at risk.
"Anyone can become a victim of hate crime merely because the perpetrators believe that person to belong to an identifiable group, or because the person is associated with people who are members of an identifiable group. Hate crime can have long lasting effects on victims and their families as well as others in society. Fear of hate crime escalates significantly in those who share the same group identity that has made a victim a target.
"Everyone has a basic human right to live free from violence, and without fear of humiliation, harassment or abuse, based on who you are. The Scottish Police Service continues to treat hate crime as a high priority. The new Act will provide additional support to those of us committed to tackling prejudice and hate incidents in our communities. We welcome this new Hate Crime legislation and acknowledge the personably significant contribution that Mr Patrick Harvie has made in bringing this about."
ENDS
Note to Editors:
1. To coincide with today's commencement of the Offences (Aggravated by Prejudice)(Scotland) Act 2009, the Hate Crime Conference and launch of the new hate crime prosecution policy took place today at The Scottish Police College, Tulliallan Castle, Kincardine.
2. Speakers included representatives from Voice UK, The Equality Network, the Scottish Transgender Alliance and the Scottish Refugee Council.
3. The new Offences (Aggravation by Prejudice) (Scotland) Act 2009 was sponsored by Patrick Harvie MSP and adds new aggravations for disability, sexual orientation and transgender identity to those that already exist for racial and religious prejudice.
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