The Leader of the Opposition and of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, Cllr Howard Sykes MBE, will propose a motion to the next meeting of full Council (17th December) outlining measures to enable the Council to play an active role in combatting disability hate crime.

Cllr Sykes said: “All hate crime is disgusting, but hate crimes targetted against people because of their disability are especially abhorrent. Tragically, despite supposedly living in a tolerant, modern society, these crimes are also all too common. Government statistics in the national hate crime survey of 2013 recorded on average 62,000 incidents of disability-related hate crime in each of the two preceding years.

“A disability hate crime can be verbal abuse, harassment of a disabled person, or damage caused to their property, but in three in ten cases, it amounts to a physical assault; most shockingly, in extremis this has included the abject degradation, rape or murder of the victim.

“Yet disability hate crimes do not receive as much publicity as other hate crimes, and regrettably police detection rates and prosecutions of offenders are lower than other hate crime categories. Disappointingly the number of disability hate crime convictions fell over the last year from 494 to 470.

“The Liberal Democrat Group believes that now is the time for the Council to ‘square up’ to disability hate crime and to work in partnership with disability advocacy groups to identify what can be done locally to reduce offences, to protect victims and to prosecute offenders”

Shadow Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, Cllr Rod Blyth is proud to second the motion:

“The Liberal Democrats are also calling on the Labour Administration to promote the excellent teaching materials produced by the Crown Prosecution Service as a learning resource for our borough’s students and to ensure that our disabled employees are effectively supported should they become a victim of a hate crime.

“Lastly we recognise that disability hate crime is not exclusive to Oldham, and so not just Oldham’s cause to fight; that is why we are also calling on the Police and Crime Commissioner and on Government Ministers to join us in this fight”.

The timing of the motion is purposefully chosen.

Cllr Sykes explained: “December is a month with several important dates on which the world marks the dignity and respect that should be shown to every human being and the intrinsic value of every life, whatever their ability or disability.

“On the 3rd, the United Nations celebrates the achievements, despite disadvantage and discrimination, of disabled people on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, whilst on the 10th we mark Human Rights Day.

“My colleague, Cllr Diane Williamson, also recently wrote to her Labour counterpart, the Cabinet Member for Education, Cllr Amanda Chadderton, asking her to promote United Kingdom Disability History Month (22nd November to 22nd December) as a learning opportunity to students attending academies, colleges and schools across our borough”.

The motion to Council (17th December 2014) reads as follows:

Disability hate crime is defined by the Crown Prosecution Service and the Association of Chief Police Officers as being –

‘Any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim, or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person’s disability or perceived disability’

Disability hate crime comprises verbal abuse, harassment, damage to the property of a person because of their disability, and, in three in ten cases, a physical assault.

Council notes that:

– there is much general hostility toward disabled people, some of which is whipped up by sensational and vindictive media reporting and by intemperate and ill-advised comments by politicians and candidates.

– despite an overall rise of over 1,000 in convictions for other forms of hate crime in 2013/14, disappointingly the number of disability hate crime convictions fell over the year from 494 to 470.

– there has been good work carried out by the Police, the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Crown Prosecution Service, and the Disability Hate Crime Network, but the Director of Public Prosecutions acknowledged ‘that there is more to do, especially around disability hate crime’.

Council resolves to:

Ask Overview and Scrutiny Committee to:

o convene a special hearing to investigate, with disability advocacy groups, the prevalence of this type of crime in Oldham and what can be done locally through a multi-agency approach to prevent it and what can be done to bring about criminal prosecutions
o bring a report back to full Council as soon as practicable.

– Support the Disability Hate Crime Network, an umbrella body that promotes the reporting of disability hate crimes and supports the work of the Police in bringing prosecutions.

– Support Mencap’s ‘Stand by Me’ campaign to help stop hate crime against people with a learning disability.

– Ask the Chief Executive to write to the Justice Minister, the Rt. Hon. Simon Hughes MP, and Director of Public Prosecutions, Alison Saunders, urging them to:

o redouble their efforts to prosecute offenders
o consider introducing new legislation for England and Wales which mirrors that which already exists in Scotland (the Offences (Aggravation by Prejudice) (Scotland) Act 2009)
o provide magistrates with appropriate training so that they are aware of the extra sentencing powers they have to deal with disability hate crime offences.

– Ask the Chief Executive to write to the Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd urging him to:
o ensure the prosecution of perpetrators of disability hate crime is given equal prominence to the prosecution of those committing other hate crimes
o ensure that reporting procedures allow for British sign language and appropriate formats for those with learning difficulties

– Ask the Cabinet Member for Education and Safeguarding, Cllr Amanda Chadderton, to promote the materials published by the Crown Prosecution Service to support the delivery of the Disability Hate Crime Schools Project in local schools and academies

– Ask the Cabinet Member for Corporate Support, Cllr Abdul Jabbar, to review the existing support mechanisms for employees who become victims of disability hate crime to ensure that these model best practice