Crackdown on hate crimes

Hate crimes against disabled people will be targeted under a new drive by prosecutors in Staffordshire.

The county's Crown Prosecution Service has launched a policy for prosecuting disability hate crime, to ensure justice for victims.

Chief crown prosecutor Harry Ireland said it followed changes which meant that stiffer sentences could be given to offenders guilty of this sort of crime.

He said: "We regard disability hate crime as particularly serious, given that the victims are often specifically targeted and do not have the support they need.

"Such crimes are based on ignorance, prejudice, discrimination and hate – and they have no place in an open and democratic society. Our policy is about everyone in the CPS – prosecutors, case workers, witness care officers – working together proactively to secure justice for people with disabilities.

"It is about making sure that the system works for people with disabilities and that it doesn't let them down."

In drawing up the policy, the CPS consulted with disabled people and invited representatives of disability organisations to give their views.

Mr Ireland said: "Courts can now pass a higher sentence when we prosecute a case as a disability hate crime. If a person with a disability has been a victim of crime and that crime has been aggravated by hostility towards their disability, then our prosecutors will work with the police to find evidence of this.

"If we do, we shall present that evidence in court to enable the court to signal society's disapproval by imposing a more serious sentence."

Victim Support Staffordshire area director Martyn Herward said the new policy was a "positive step forward".

He said: "Hate crime can turn people's lives upside down, because it can have a devastating effect on their identity, self-esteem, culture and their wider community.

"When you are a victim of hate crime, you are targeted because of who you are – your skin colour, your faith, your sexual orientation or your disability – and that's what sets hate crime apart from other crimes. It is essential that vulnerable victims, including those with disabilities, are given equal access to justice and appropriate support if they decide to report the crime and if their case comes to court."

Supt Neil Hemmings, of Staffordshire Police, said that the force welcomed the move.

"Stamping out all forms of hate crime is something which the force, in conjunction with the CPS and other criminal justice agencies, takes very seriously," he said.

"This policy strengthens the ability of all agencies involved in the fight against this insidious crime to bring offenders to justice and to increase the confidence of victims in reporting such offences to the police."