Police and crime commissioner Rupert Matthews praises work on hate crimes in Rutland and Leicestershire

Leicestershire and Rutland’s police and crime commissioner has said he is ‘very pleased’ with the work a new scrutiny panel is doing to look at how the police force deals with hate crime.

The panel was set up by commissioner Rupert Matthew’s office last year in response to the levels of hate crime being reported in the Leicestershire and Rutland policing area.

While figures released by his office have shown the crime decreased last year compared to 2023, there was a notable increase in race related hate crimes in July and August last year in response to the Palestine conflict and the race riots sparked by misinformation following the murder of three girls in Southport.

In August there were 263 hate crimes reported in the policing area, 210 of which were race-motivated, compared to 176 hate crimes in January 2024.

A new panel was set up and at the police and crime panel meeting held at County Hall in Glenfield, yesterday (March 24) Mr Matthews said he was pleased with the work the panel, which is made up of members of the public, has done so far.

In three sessions it has assessed how the Leicestershire Force handled six reported hate crimes. It found two had been handled appropriately and in accordance with police policy, a further three were appropriate but the panel had made observations for improvement and one was handled inappropriately. In this instance the case had been misrecorded.

The Conservative commissioner said: “This is part of how we demonstrate to the public that the police do behave independently and evenhandedly and without fear or favour so they can get into communities and do their work properly.

I am very pleased with the outcome of this police and crime panel to date.”

Coun Les Phillimore (Cons) made reference to the report saying that it was acknowledged that hate crime was under-reported, and asked for more information.

The commissioner said there it was acknowledged nationally that not all hate crime was reported and his office’s chief executive Claire Trewartha said that been given anecdotal evidence that was happening locally.

Panel chairperson Deborah Taylor (Cons) told the commissioner and his team that she viewed education about reporting as his role and asked what he was doing about it.

His chief executive said the fact the hate crime panel was in existence and people were talking about it was one step and there would be more activity on social media about hate crime and how to report it.

Coun Taylor said: “Some people from some cultures don't realise it is a crime against them, it is not in their culture to accept it is a crime against them, so what are we doing to educate those people?”

The OFPCC chief executive said that was a good challenge to her office and would be considered.

At the meeting information about setting up a new sub committee process to handle complaints made about the commissioner or his office was considered.

New deputy commissioner Charlotte Chirico also gave a presentation on the local justice board. She said she had visited Leicester Crown Court last month and the two big issues facing the board was the back long in the crown court and the prison over capacity.