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13/02/2006
Police launch campaign to tackle hate crime
The PSNI are today staging a major conference on human rights and hate crime in Belfast.
Over 200 delegates are expected to attend the conference, which will address the issue of racism, homophobia, sectarianism, faith/religion crimes, and crimes against people with disabilities.
The conference is set to coincide with a poster campaign aimed to raise awareness of the increasing hate crime, with the simple message 'Hate Crime is Wrong.'
The campaign has been designed to make people in the community think about the issue, and to give advice to potential victims.
It also promotes the new online facility to enable such crimes to be reported through the Internet, at www.psni.police.uk.
Police figures have revealed that there were 697 racial incidents between April and December 2005 compared to the 624 in the same period in the previous year.
The number of homophobic incidents had also increased, as had religion/faith crime, disability attacks and those of a sectarian nature.
Opening the seminar in Belfast today, Chief Constable Hugh Orde said that the problem of hate crime was rapidly increasing in Northern Ireland. He said: “The biggest challenge facing the Police Service is increasing the number of persons detected and prosecuted for hate crimes. I recently approved, along with my senior command, the implementation of a new Hate Incident policy, which I believe will deliver a more consistent and effective police response to hate incidents.
“The ‘Hate Crime’ legislation recently introduced to Northern Ireland, I believe, creates an opportunity for the courts to send out a very clear message that hate related crimes will not be tolerated. The challenge for the Police Service is to ensure that those responsible are identified and held to account. Whilst the detection rates very slowly continue to rise, we recognise that this is an important confidence issue for minority groups."
The Chief Constable added that the increasing diversity in the province should be considered a strength and not a weakness and should be celebrated, not feared.
He concluded by saying that the PSNI will do everything it can to ensure that "individuals from all backgrounds can live free from prejudice, fear and discrimination.”
(EF/SP)
Over 200 delegates are expected to attend the conference, which will address the issue of racism, homophobia, sectarianism, faith/religion crimes, and crimes against people with disabilities.
The conference is set to coincide with a poster campaign aimed to raise awareness of the increasing hate crime, with the simple message 'Hate Crime is Wrong.'
The campaign has been designed to make people in the community think about the issue, and to give advice to potential victims.
It also promotes the new online facility to enable such crimes to be reported through the Internet, at www.psni.police.uk.
Police figures have revealed that there were 697 racial incidents between April and December 2005 compared to the 624 in the same period in the previous year.
The number of homophobic incidents had also increased, as had religion/faith crime, disability attacks and those of a sectarian nature.
Opening the seminar in Belfast today, Chief Constable Hugh Orde said that the problem of hate crime was rapidly increasing in Northern Ireland. He said: “The biggest challenge facing the Police Service is increasing the number of persons detected and prosecuted for hate crimes. I recently approved, along with my senior command, the implementation of a new Hate Incident policy, which I believe will deliver a more consistent and effective police response to hate incidents.
“The ‘Hate Crime’ legislation recently introduced to Northern Ireland, I believe, creates an opportunity for the courts to send out a very clear message that hate related crimes will not be tolerated. The challenge for the Police Service is to ensure that those responsible are identified and held to account. Whilst the detection rates very slowly continue to rise, we recognise that this is an important confidence issue for minority groups."
The Chief Constable added that the increasing diversity in the province should be considered a strength and not a weakness and should be celebrated, not feared.
He concluded by saying that the PSNI will do everything it can to ensure that "individuals from all backgrounds can live free from prejudice, fear and discrimination.”
(EF/SP)
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06 May 2014
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Two Polish residents of east Belfast have become the latest victims of a spate of racist hate crimes in the city, after the living room window of their house on Templemore Avenue was smashed at 23:30 on Monday night. A man in his 20s and a woman in her 40s were in the house at the time.
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19 November 2013
42% Of Racist Offences Occur In Belfast
In 2012, 42% of all racially-motivated offences recorded in Northern Ireland related to Belfast. The same was true for 32% of homophobic offences and 40% of sectarian offences. The statistics have been released by Belfast City Council as it begins a new billboard campaign to help tackle hate crime.
42% Of Racist Offences Occur In Belfast
In 2012, 42% of all racially-motivated offences recorded in Northern Ireland related to Belfast. The same was true for 32% of homophobic offences and 40% of sectarian offences. The statistics have been released by Belfast City Council as it begins a new billboard campaign to help tackle hate crime.
17 January 2005
Poster campaign highlights hate crimes
A poster campaign aimed at raising community awareness of hate crime was launched today by the PSNI. The poster carries a simple message 'Hate Crime is Wrong' and carries photographic images representing the four main areas of hate crime – race hate, homophobia, sectarianism/religion and crimes against people with disabilities.
Poster campaign highlights hate crimes
A poster campaign aimed at raising community awareness of hate crime was launched today by the PSNI. The poster carries a simple message 'Hate Crime is Wrong' and carries photographic images representing the four main areas of hate crime – race hate, homophobia, sectarianism/religion and crimes against people with disabilities.
28 August 2006
PSNI to showcase response to hate crime in Europe
Inspector Robin Dempsey, of the Police Service Community Safety Branch, has today embarked on a trip to Latvia, in a plight to showcase the work of the PSNI in responding to hate crime in Northern Ireland to an audience at the Latvian Centre of Human Rights.
PSNI to showcase response to hate crime in Europe
Inspector Robin Dempsey, of the Police Service Community Safety Branch, has today embarked on a trip to Latvia, in a plight to showcase the work of the PSNI in responding to hate crime in Northern Ireland to an audience at the Latvian Centre of Human Rights.
07 September 2005
Police launch hate crime initiative
A new campaign to tackle hate crime, which has been designed by young people for young people, has been launched in Carrickfergus.
Police launch hate crime initiative
A new campaign to tackle hate crime, which has been designed by young people for young people, has been launched in Carrickfergus.
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:Some brightness in morning but mostly cloudy with some showers. Mainly dry in afternoon with sunny spells. Still warm, especially in west where sheltered from the east or southeast wind, but cool over coasts where winds will be rather brisk. Maximum temperature 19 °C.Tonight:Some late sunshine then clear spells. but becoming cloudier with showers developing, though mostly across western counties and over the Antrim coast. Brisk easterly winds turning southerly for a time. Minimum temperature 7 °C.
