An opinion piece by Darren Burton – HDN Ambassador and Housing & Community Safety Consultant
Whilst it is undoubtedly encouraging to see bold slogans and commitments displayed within the websites and newsletters of Registered Housing Providers throughout the UK, how far do we actually go to report and investigate the increasingly prominent issue of Hate Crime on a regular, daily basis.
Whenever this question is raised around the table in a partnership meeting, every agency responsible will unequivocally regal that Hate Crime is prioritised on their watch and victims are taken seriously but if you drill down deeper, this isn’t always true.
I know incidentally that Housing Diversity Network have done some research on the regulatory gradings and have highlighted the importance of hate crime responses in the RSH’s judgments.
Case management can be very complex and has many different strands, yet we don’t need overcomplicate the process when it comes to reporting Hate Crime. If someone says they are a victim of Hate, the process is straightaway – RECORD – PRIORITISE – INVESTIGATE – PUT A PERSON-CENTRED PLAN TOGETHER (*including equality compliance, reasonable adjustments etc) and keep going!
When reviewing ASB cases, I often come across Hate incidents buried somewhere in the file notes. The individual in question has clearly stated that they are a victim of Hate, yet it becomes lost in the long grass of noise complaints, neighbour disputes and the like. In these situations, not only has the victim been let down and exposed to further risk but the watchful eyes of policy compliance and external regulatory scrutiny are never far away so best practice is paramount.
One of the questions I always ask is….” Has this been officially documented as a Hate Crime and does the victim know?” Unfortunately, not everyone is able to give a quick, definitive answer which is an evident concern. In some areas, one agency assumes that another has taken up this responsibility resulting in the Hate incident not being properly recorded at all.
When it comes to demonstrating the existence of effective case management, it is critical that we get things right from the start therefore, the awareness of a Hate crime should be central to the victim’s own bespoke action plan. If someone discloses that they are a victim of Hate at a later stage of the case, then the action plan must be updated and refreshed to reflect this information.
A failure to prioritise Hate can have multiple consequences for Registered Housing Providers. Victims will no longer see the point in speaking out about these incidents which creates a culture of underreporting. This means that they no longer feel safe in their communities, are unable to enjoy their homes and in the most extreme situations, there could be the risk of a fatality – If your organisation is called to a Serious Case Review, can you confidently say that you did everything possible to try and prevent it?
Underreporting has a wide-reaching impact; it sends out a message to perpetrators that they can probably get away with displaying these behaviours and ideologies. It can also affect the delivery of future neighbourhood / tenancy management services as the stats show that “Hate isn’t an issue here” so resources are redirected elsewhere and potential funding opportunities for education, training and community cohesion are missed.
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