Cov saw a spike in hate crimes after Brexit vote
CONCERNS AFTER NEW FIGURES REVEAL A STEADY RISE IN INCIDENTS SINCE 2015
HATE crime has increased in Coventry, with a particular spike in incidents after Brexit.
Figures for between April 2015 to March 2018 show 377 reports of hate crime to police in 2015/16, 402 in 2016/17, and 404 in 2017/18.
The steady increase mirrors the overall picture in the West Midlands, with hate crime rising from 3,597, 4,025, to 4,636 over the same period.
At a scrutiny meeting at Coventry Council House on Wednesday, February 7, Conservative leader Cllr Gary Ridley said the rise was a “real concern”.
“Whatever way you look at the stats they are clearly on an upward trend,” he added.
“Are we genuinely seeing a rise in these hate crimes or is it down to reporting?”
Craig Hickin, head of environmental services, said he believes this is because people are more confident to report.
He added: “There is some discussion as to whether Brexit generated more hate crime.
“There were certainly spikes around the time of the referendum. “Hopefully that is gone and whatever happens with Brexit is absorbed and it doesn’t generate any ill-feeling locally.”
The figures for Coventry and the West Midlands were collated in a council document drafting the authority’s new Hate Crime Strategy.
But Cllr John McNicholas (Lab) called for further stats to provide a “fair comparison” with other cities.
“We are reporting to ourselves about hate crime in Coventry, but it is portrayed that Coventry is an area that has hate crime,” he said.
“Other areas that don’t do the research and just keep quiet. We are perceived as the capital of crime as we report it.” Council officer Beverley Massey said comparisons could be made going forward as the strategy is developed.
She added: “What we try to do is challenge every hate crime whenever it occurs which we feel is crucial to make Coventry the place that we all love, work, live in and want to promote to other people.
“The issue easily gets lost so we want to keep that up there.
“We want to build confidence within our communities and let them know that it is being taken seriously.”
Are we genuinely seeing a rise in these hate crimes or is it down to reporting? Cllr Gary Ridley