Crime commissioner: Ethnic make-up of county could slow down acceptance of diversity

Peter McCall said he believed the debate around the vote to leave the European Union had given a voice to some nationalists.

He also felt a traditional lack of diversity in the county might have led to some resistance to change in society.

Mr McCall made the point as he called for people to take a stand on hate crime.

He also said abuse and targeting of people because of differences could have a knock-on impact on already-stretched mental health services.

Latest figures from Cumbria Police show there were 550 hate incidents recorded in the county in the year up to February.

This is a rise of nearly a quarter on the previous year - when numbers stood at 452.

Cumbria Police and Mr McCall have been among those trying to raise the profile of hate crimes during this week's Hate Crime Awareness Week.

Among their aims have been for people who do feel targeted to come forward and report their ordeal.

Hate crimes are when people become targets due to their disability, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or gender identity.

Of the hate crime categories, racism accounted for 337 incidents last year - more than 60 per cent of the total and up on 277 the previous year.

Mr McCall said he found the idea of racism still existing in 2018
Crime Commissioner, Peter McCall "extraordinary".

"In Cumbria, the ethnicity of our county is almost overwhelmingly white," he said.

"The larger groups of foreign nationals are eastern Europeans.

"Because we don't have that history of being more cosmopolitan like the larger cities, perhaps in some areas there is still that resistance.

"I don't think it's been helped by the whole Brexit issue.

"That does allow some of those people with nationalist tendencies to give a voice to that sort of view.

"Personally, my experience of Cumbrians is we are pretty welcoming.

"It is a small, tiny minority of people who cause problems. But that is all it takes."

Mr McCall said attitudes were changing in Cumbria - for the better.

He said: "Some of us grew up in an era of 'sticks and stones'. The crucial bit of that saying is: Names will never hurt me.

"But we now recognise names can and do hurt people.

"We have an explosion of mental health issues and you can't help but think a certain amount of these issues do come from people feeling they are abused and picked on.

"We are saying to people: You don't have to put up with this, you can report it."

More than nine in 10 hate crime cases are ending in a conviction in Cumbria.

The Crown Prosecution Service has highlighted this figure, saying it should offer reassurance that something is being done to prosecute offenders.

Mr McCall said he was sure hate crimes were "still massively under reported".

"We can, must and should address this," he added.

"I'd love to see figures for all types of crime driving down. But if it is happening out there we should recognise it."

He said bigots carrying out hate crime were often cowards.

"There are people who victimise people because of disability," he said.

"I can't get my head around the mentality that thinks that is OK.

"To me that is the most cowardly thing. It's all the worst traits that we could package together. We have to protect vulnerable people.

"And sadly we do still live in a world where people think it is OK to have a go at people because of their sexual orientation."

He added education played a part.

"Sometimes it is a case of educating people rather than going for punishment," said Mr McCall.

"It's much more about cultural change than just law enforcement."

He added: "I do think some people just don't realise what they are doing.

"It's how they've grown up. They think: I was only having a laugh, it was only banter.

"It's this slow process of making it clear to people you just can't do that.

"If it gets to the point where people are genuinely threatened and feel abused by what is happening the police can and will take action."

Mr McCall said everybody had a part to play in tackling bigotry.

He said: "If you see it, don't just accept it and walk on by.

"If you think it's safe and you feel confident enough, challenge it.

"If you don't feel confident enough to do that or it might be unsafe, report it.

"If it only leads to somebody knocking on their door and saying 'you need to pack that in', you will have helped to fix this."

Aftab Khan , of AWAZ Cumbria Carlisle-based AWAZ Cumbria seeks to empower the voice of black and minority ethnic people and communities.

Aftab Khan, development officer, said the rise in hate crimes was a wake-up call for criminal justice system agencies and local authorities across Cumbria.

He said: "The voices of victims, people and communities affected by hate crime and racism needs to be heard to improve their confidence in community policing.

"There is a need for meaningful partnership work across all sections of society to tackle the root causes of prejudice, hostility and hate crime."

Gemma Humes was targeted by a drunken yob while on crutches as she popped to the Co-op.
Gemma Humes, from Dalton, was subjected to a hate crime

The 32-year-old was left scared to go out and anxious after her ordeal.

Because she was targeted for her crutches while suffering from a physical disability at the time - damage to her foot - the case comes under the umbrella of hate crime.

She revealed what she went through as the incident unfolded at the junction of Ulverston Road and Tudor Square, Dalton.

"I'd damaged the muscle under my foot so badly that I was using crutches at the time," said Gemma.

"I got down to the Co-op and was coming back when I saw two lads coming out of a pub.

"One of the lads had noticed my crutches. He started swearing. He was saying: Give me the crutches.

"I said I need them because I need them to help me walk.

"He proceeded to try and grab my crutches off me.

"I tried to keep hold of my crutches and it ended up with me being pushed me into the wall.

"He was still screaming and shouting to me about my crutches.

"I did manage to slip round the side of him to get away."

She phoned police. The man in question, in his twenties, later handed himself in.

He was dealt with through restorative justice - where offenders go face-to-face with their victims.

"It really knocked my self confidence," said Gemma.

"I was scared to go out. I was depressed. It caused a lot of anxiety."

She said she met the man, who said he could not remember anything about the incident.

"He was very, very apologetic," said Gemma, a clinical support worker at Furness General Hospital in Barrow, has backed Hate Crime Awareness week.

She urged anyone who had been a victim to contact police. Call officers on 101.