8 Dec 2020

Government not yet considering new laws to tackle hate crime

From Morning Report, 8:19 am on 8 December 2020

The government isn't yet considering new laws to tackle hate crime, despite clamour from the police association and justice advocates.

While broader hate speech legislation is expected to be announced on Tuesday, drawing up specific offences for more serious hate crime isn't on the agenda.

The police started recording hate crimes only last year, but figures show almost half are being wrongly downgraded to something less serious.

Ben Strang reports.