Communities, Equality and Local Government Committee

CELG(4)-02-11 : Paper 3

All Wales Hate Crime Research Project

1.       Introduction

The All Wales Hate Crime Research Project is a Big Lottery funded partnership between Race Equality First, Cardiff University and the Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan Equality and Human Rights Network.  The project has been funded for three years to investigate the nature and the impact of hate crime in Wales across all recognised equality strands (age, gender, disability/impairment, religion and belief, race, sexual orientation and transgender/gender identity).

The project consists of two parallel parts: research conducted by Cardiff University and capacity building activities (including consultation) lead by Race Equality First.  The project as a whole aims to increase the capacity of organisations in Wales to address hate crime by producing good quality data on the nature of hate victimisation, reporting and underreporting, as well as other key information, such as the profile of perpetrators and how victims want to be supported.  To achieve this, the project is undertaking groundbreaking quantitative and qualitative research which focuses on hate crime and hate-related incidents and will generate the most comprehensive dataset of its kind anywhere in the UK.

The project started in April 2010 and we are currently mid-way through data collection.  The quantitative data from our hate crime survey will be collected by autumn 2011 at which stage the analysis process will begin.  The qualitative interview stage of the research has begun and will be completed by spring 2012.

In order to disseminate the findings effectively and prepare for the final report which will be published in 2013, Race Equality First is offering capacity-building activities for organisations and will be encouraging local partnership working on this issue.

Project Outcomes

• Robust data for use in policy development, lobbying and fundraising

• Final report with recommendations

• Data to support anti-hate crime campaigning

• Increase in the capacity of organisations in Wales to respond to and tackle hate crime

2.       Research Conducted by Cardiff University

The project is unable to provide the Committee with research data because we are currently mid-way through data collection.  Therefore we are unable to discuss findings at this stage, but can provide information about research design and main thematic areas to be explored.

The project is using a mixed methods approach to collecting the data.  Phase one consists of a large-scale survey commissioned from the market and social research company IpsosMORI.  The data from this survey will include both victims and non-victims of hate crime and incidents.  Questions focus on community cohesion, victimisation, perpetrator characteristics, criminal justice experiences etc.  Surveys are being carried out via online completion, postal distribution and face-to-face completion at events.  The nature of the sampling framework precludes examination of the prevalence of hate crimes and incidents within each equality strand.  This is due to the hard-to-reach nature of the respondents and resource restrictions.  However, the survey data will provide insight into the nature of victimisation across individual equality strands.  The data will also provide the opportunity to predict particular outcomes by equality strand, such as the type of victimisation that is most likely to be experienced, the impact felt from this victimisation and the level of interaction with services post-victimisation.

Phase two consists of a series of in-depth qualitative interviews with victims of hate crimes and incidents across Wales.  The research team aims to undertake between 50-70 in-depth interviews with victims of hate crime from each equality strand to gather their opinions on, among other issues, the nature of/motivation for hate incidents; the provision of support for hate crime victims and where relevant, their experiences of the criminal justice system.  The interviews will provide the opportunity to capture the nuanced and complex nature of hate crime victimisation across different equality strands.

3.       Consultations Conducted by Race Equality First

The following concerns regarding disability hate crime and harassment have been identified from consultation events and meetings which Race Equality First has conducted with stakeholders.  More detail can be provided on request

1  Barriers to reporting hate crime and harassment, including physical, communication and social barriers;

2  Negative impact of hearsay and the media;

3  Lack of trust that anything will be done about hate crime/harassment;

4.  Need for more specialist/dedicated services to support disabled people when they are victims of hate crime and harassment.

The following areas have been identified by stakeholders as needing improvement:

1.  Efforts to achieve long-term cultural change in attitudes to disabled people:

2.  Practical improvements in terms of accessibility

3.  Increased approachability of criminal justice agencies

4.  Establishment of hate crime/ASB MARACs, (multi-agency risk assessment conferences) to share information about high risk cases of hate crime and ASB and improve support for victims