GARDAI CALLED OUT TO PROBE 90 HATE CRIMES
»»Virus has kept numbers down »»change to law is long overdue
GARDAI have been called out to deal with 90 hate crimes so far this year, the Irish Mirror can reveal.
A Mirror data probe has exposed how forces around the country have investigated four incidents A WEEK over the past eight years.
And a spokesman said the number of crimes from January to June 15 could have been higher if not for a “reduction in most crime types due to Covid-19”.
Our investigation revealed hate crimes hit a record high of 340 in 2018, while 250 incidents were recorded to the Garda’s Pulse system last year.
Since 2013, a total of 1,686 offences have been investigated.
However, anti-racism campaigners say
hate these numbers are just the tip of the iceberg because a range of racist incidents reported to officers are not even classed as crimes.
Under current legislation, only criminal offences such as assault or theft where hate or discrimination is a suspected motivation can be prosecuted.
Labour’s justice spokesman Sean Sherlock said it’s long past time there were clear laws outlawing all types of hate crime.
He told the Irish Mirror:
“There is a lacuna in the law in respect of hate crimes and it is long overdue for clear legislation to be brought through the Dail and the Seanad.
“There would be cross-party support for this and we will certainly be following the Programme for Government closely.”
A Garda spokesman said the organisation “fully accepts that there is under-recording of hate motivated crimes”.
He added: “As such, actions
are underway to improve internal recording and also to encourage more reporting by the public.”
A review in February as part of the Garda’s Diversity and Integration Strategy 2019-2020 saw 461 Diversity Officers deployed around the country to support minority communities.
The strategy, which aims to improve how hate crimes are investigated and prosecuted, will also see the Pulse system updated in September 2020 to collect data on reports of all hate related incidents.
Meanwhile, the Programme for Government pledges to publish a new national action plan against racism.
It also promises to review and update the Incitement to Hatred Act 1989 as well as introducing beefed up hate crime legislation over the next 12 months.