Concern at hate crimes in city
THERE are concerns around a potential lack of police powers for dealing with hate crimes, with a Hobart council working group revealing Tasmania Police does not have the mechanism to record hate crimes on its database.
The matter was discussed at the community culture and events committee meeting in September, with concerns raised around the rate of hate crimes in Hobart.
Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said action was needed. “A few people have raised with me over a number of months similar concerns and I’m pretty worried about it,” Ms Reynolds said.
“It’s something we do need to take seriously.”
Ms Reynolds said she had recently heard a report of someone experiencing an attack in the mall.
“They were a person of colour themselves, but they had seen a couple they didn’t know being bashed in the mall,” she said.
The Lord Mayor believed Covid had changed how people were being treated and viewed. “I do feel like maybe we should bring a few people together and see what else we should be doing in the postCovid environment.”
A working group which includes the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, COTA, Multicultural Council of Tasmania and Disability Voices Tasmania
has been meeting to develop plans for dealing with hate crimes.
The group was also concerned police officers were not provided with adequate training to prosecute hate crimes and that the only legislation in Tasmania relating to the hate crimes was the Sentencing Act, which the group believed had limited scope.
Assistant Commissioner Jonathan Higgins said whether a crime was a hate crime depended on the individual circumstances of each case.
“As such, available statistics are recorded under the actual nature of the crime, that is assault,” Mr Higgins said.
“All reports of crimes are taken seriously and people are encouraged to come forward to police to report them so the matter can be fully investigated.”
Mr Higgins said officers did cultural awareness training conducted by Students Against Racism at each recruit course.
He also said Aboriginal awareness workshops were conducted with each recruit course, along with lessons focusing on cultural differences and vulnerable people.