Hate crime against alternative sub-cultures

Their comments come in advance of the eighth anniversary of the tragic death of Sophie Lancaster, a young goth who was murdered in Lancashire.

National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) Lead for Hate Crime, Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said:

“Everyone has a right to feel safe and confident about themselves. Crimes motivated by hate have a devastating impact: not only on victims, their families and friends but also our wider communities.

“The enhanced sentencing legislation, which underpins police categorisation of hate crime, is a matter for Parliament. However, forces take all reports of hate crime extremely seriously and are encouraged to respond to local needs.

“Diversity is something to be celebrated. We are working alongside partners such as the Sophie Lancaster Foundation to tackle ignorance and promote equality in all walks of life.”

“You can report an alternative sub-culture hate crime or incident to the police by using our True Vision website. Select 'other' as a category and write 'alternative sub-culture' in the box provided.”

More information can be found in the 2014 Hate Crime Operational Guidance here:

http://www.report-it.org.uk/files/hate_crime_operational_guidance.pdf