This page is from APP, the official source of professional practice for policing.
Chief constables should establish a policy that clearly indicates ownership of hate crime investigations. All hate crimes should be considered for a priority response and be appropriately screened and allocated to ensure the best outcome.
The National Policing Hate Crime Strategy outlines the recommended approach to hate crime. Senior leaders should be able to assess each level of the police response to determine the overall quality of service and make necessary improvements.
Many PCCs have made tackling hate crime a priority in their police and crime plans. Chief constables should determine their strategy according to these commitments, and measure success against them.
Chief officers can review their organisation’s response to hate crime by answering the following questions.
- Is hate crime given sufficient priority?
- What is the quality of response to hate crime reports?
- Are auditing processes in place to ensure that hate crimes are accurately recorded and responded to appropriately?
- Does the organisation know the extent of under-reporting of hate crime?
- Are responses tailored to the needs of the most vulnerable victims?
- Are victims and affected communities satisfied with their local police response?
- Do performance criteria support the key objectives of the National Policing Hate Crime Strategy?
- How strong are partnerships with key stakeholders and community groups?
- Do such partnerships have adequate data and intelligence sharing capabilities?
See Performance management for a range of tools which can help managers to assess the quality of service provided.