Police and Crime Commissioner to host webinar for young people on Hate Crime as part of Hate Crime Awareness Week

ON Tuesday, (Oct 13), Police and Crime Commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn will host a webinar for young people as part of Hate Crime Awareness week. The webinar’s focus will be on identifying hate crime, how to intervene and report a hate crime, the work that’s being done by organisations and campaigners to prevent and raise awareness of hate crime; and the call for action for young people.

The Commissioner will have experts and professionals who work to tackle hate crime and raise awareness of hate crimes, as guest speakers at the Webinar to share their experiences and advice to young people. They include Becca Rosenthal, Hate Crime Training and Engagement Officer in Dyfed Powys with Victim Support; Chief Inspector Stuart Bell who is Dyfed-Powys Police Strategic Lead on Hate Crime; Joanne Maksymiuk-King, Community Support Officer in South and West Wales with Race Council Cymru; Ali Abdi from Race Council Cymru; and Nirushan Sudarsan who is the Wales Hate Crime Service Delivery Assistant with Victim Support and who also is a member of the Race Council Cymru National BAME Youth Forum.

PCC Dafydd Llywelyn said, “Experiencing hate crime can be a particularly frightening experience, especially for young people, as you’ve been targeted because of who you are, or who or what your attacker thinks you are. Unlike non-identity related offences, the attack is very personal and specifically targeted, which means it’s less likely to be a random attack.

“This webinar will be an opportunity for us to discuss and identify the various forms of hate crime that affect young people, how they can often escalate to crimes or tension in a community, and how incidents are reported and dealt with by the Police and organisations.

“I’m extremely grateful to the guest speakers for agreeing to participate in the discussions, and I look forward to introducing them to the young people and all the attendees. The event will hopefully educate them about their responsibilities as young citizens and provide them with the knowledge and skills to help them challenge the attitudes and behaviours that lead to hate crime.”

Becca Rosenthal, from Victim Support said “Now more than ever it’s important for us all to understand more about Hate Crime and the impact it has on victims, their families and our communities. It’s really key to continue conversations in our communities about where hate crime is coming from and how we can all play a part in tackling it and reporting what we see.

“At Victim Support we’re really pleased to be invited to participate in this conversation facilitated by the PCC with young people. Young people have a better insight than sometimes we give them credit for and it’s really important to hear their voice….they’re the next generation of community campaigners and hate crime leaders after all.

“If you’ve been a victim of hate crime, know that it can affect people differently, there is no ‘right’ way to feel. You have a right to emotional and practical support to help you to overcome what’s happened.”

The webinar is part of a number of activities that the Police and Crime Commissioner, and Dyfed-Powys Police is involved in during Hate Crime Awareness week which runs from 10th – 17th of October. Victim Support Cymru will take over the Office of Police and Crime Commissioner Twitter feed on Wednesday evening to promote message around hate crime, and to encourage discussions, while the Commissioner will also be hosting a Facebook live ‘Commissioner in Conversation’ with Dyfed-Powys Chief Constable Mark Collins discussing many topics, including hate crime.

The OPCC, as well as Dyfed-Powys Police, in their preparation to hate crime awareness week have signed up to the newly launched Victim Support ‘Hate Crime Charter’ which outlines and reinforces victims’ rights.

Dyfed-Powys Police Strategic Lead for Hate Crime, Chief Inspector Stuart Bell said: “Hate crimes and incidents hurt; they can cause serious distress, confusion and fear. At Dyfed-Powys Police we are working hard to combat Hate Crime, understand its impacts and provide support to victims. Across the force, we have a wide range of activities and events planned to support Hate Crime Awareness Week, and have also signed up to the newly launched Hate Crime Charter.

“I would like to reassure our communities that by reporting crimes and incidents as they happen, police can investigate, bring offenders to justice and stop this from happening to someone else. Whether you are a victim or a witness to hate crime, please report it to us, we want to hear from you and stop this together.”

Anyone who wishes to attend the Hate Crime Webinar can register via Evenbrite, and there are further details available on the Dyfed-Powys Office of Police and Crime Commissioner’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/DPOPCC .