Lack of evidence blamed for hate crime inquiry failures

NEARLY half of investigations into hate crimes in some parts of the country are being closed without police identifying a suspect, as a senior officer said there is often “no witnesses and scarce evidence”.

In the year to September 2018, 46 per cent of racially and religiously-aggravated offences recorded by Greater Manchester Police were shut with no suspect in the frame, while West Midlands Police closed 44 per cent.

Other forces closed around a third, including British Transport Police (37 per cent), Northumbria (33 per cent) and Sussex (31 per cent).

In contrast, North Yorkshire Police had the lowest figure, at 4 per cent.

The offences include racially or religiously aggravated assault, harassment and criminal damage.

It comes as the total number of recorded hate crime has reached a new high, with 57,652 recorded during this period across England and Wales.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for hate crime, said: “Unfortunately, with many cases, there are often no witnesses to these crimes and scarce evidence – this may lead to police being unable to identify a suspect.”

Greater Manchester Police acknowledged it had “a lot of work to do” to ensure hate crimes were dealt with, while West Midlands Police said it was determined to follow “all active lines of inquiry to trace suspects”.