Tackling Prejudice and Building Connected Communities Action Group minutes: January 2021

Attendees and apologies

In attendance:

• Chair:  Aileen Campbell, MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government, Scottish Government
• [redacted], [redacted], BEMIS
• [redacted], [redacted], CEMVO
• [redacted], [redacted], COPFS
• [redacted], [redacted], COPFS
• [redacted], [redacted], COSLA
• [redacted], [redacted], Equality Network
• [redacted], [redacted], Glasgow Disability Alliance
• [redacted], [redacted], Interfaith Scotland
• [redacted], [redacted], Police Scotland
• [redacted], [redacted], Police Scotland
• [redacted], [redacted], Respectme
• [redacted], [redacted] Scottish Trans Alliance
• [redacted], [redacted], YouthLink Scotland

Official support:

• [redacted], Connected Communities, Scottish Government
• [redacted], Cohesive Communities, Scottish Government
• [redacted], Cohesive Communities, Scottish Government
• [redacted], Cohesive Communities, Scottish Government
• [redacted], Connected Communities, Scottish Government
• [redacted], Justice Analytical Services, Scottish Government
• [redacted], Justice Analytical Services, Scottish Government
• [redacted], Justice Analytical Services, Scottish Government
• [redacted], Private Office, Scottish Government

Apologies: 

• [redacted], [redacted], Education Scotland
• [redacted], [redacted], Equality and Human Rights Commission
• [redacted], [redacted], Equality and Human Rights Commission

Items and actions

Welcome and introductions

The Cabinet Secretary welcomed [redacted] who was attending his first meeting of the group.

The Cabinet Secretary thanked everyone for their hard work in responding to the impact of Covid-19 and supporting communities throughout the pandemic.

The Cabinet Secretary also thanked the group for the support they had provided the Cabinet Secretary for Justice in the development of the Hate Crime Bill. 

Minutes of previous meeting

The group agreed the minutes. 

Deep dive

Justice Analytical Service (JAS) delivered a presentation outlining the provisional findings from their  ‘deep dive’ into police recorded hate crime in 2018/19.   A report of the final results will be published on 23 February 2021.

The progress made on developing this information was welcomed by all members of the group and the Cabinet Secretary. 

The Equality Network and Scottish Trans Alliance indicated that they would like to see further information on hate crimes with a sexual orientation and transgender identity aggravation and indicated they would happy to have a further discussion in regards to how the information is presented.

Action:

• JAS to meet with the Equality Network and Scottish Trans Alliance to discuss the sexual orientation and transgender identity section in the deep dive report (complete) 

Members of the group had some further feedback which is outlined in Annex A. This feedback was considered by JAS and  responses have provided in the Annex.

All members are agreed that disaggregated data on hate crime should be published regularly and that:

• JAS should work with Police Scotland to produce a further deep dive of hate crime records for the reporting year 2020-21
• they are supportive of the amendment brought forward by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice at Stage Two for the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill to ensure disaggregated data on hate crime is published on an annual basis

Support for communities

Members of the group provided an update on the work they had been doing to support communities during the pandemic and an overview of what was still required, including the rise in the number of incidents of hate crime towards disabled people and gaps in support provision.  Glasgow Disability Alliance would continue to work closely with Police Scotland to support the community. Members suggested that further promotion of the national helpline and emergency supports available was required to support those shielding.

2021 priorities

Members of the group agreed that the priority for them should be to support the passing of the Hate Crime Bill through parliament. The group will look to review priorities and a refresh the current Tackling Prejudice and Building Connected Communities Action Plan when they next meet. 

AOB and date of next meeting

It was agreed that the next meeting of the Action Group would take place in April 2021.

Connected Communities 
February 2021 

Annex A

Feedback by Tackling Prejudice and Building Connected Communities Action Group for the ‘A Study of the Characteristics of Police Recorded Hate Crime in Scotland’ report

Feedback: data produced in future could be more comprehensive    
Response: data produced to the best of our abilities given the information available in crime records and nature of these cases

Feedback: ensure headings in charts etc. are clear  
Response: included in final report which also makes greater use of infographics

Feedback: differentiate between victims reporting and organisations reporting on their behalf and the channels used.
Response: included in final report

Feedback: include the total number of hate incidents reported to police    
Response: don’t currently have this but the report highlights non-crime hate incidents are likely to be very small - we could consider adding more info on this to the next report (i.e. summary of volume)

Feedback: a geographical breakdown of hate crime  
Response: not done in report as sub-Scotland breakdowns not generally possible given sample sizes

Feedback: separate police victims from the data
Response: included in final report

Feedback: add context around the findings for the types of hate crime committed e.g. in instances stating that the majority of hate crimes were homophobic, transphobic or committed against those that are non-white
Response: context added to the best of our abilities given the information available in crime records and nature of these cases

Feedback: include how many reported hate crimes resulted in a conviction  
esponse: COPFS explained that this wasn’t currently possible due to the various complexities, including recording hate crimes by charges, and linking together data from the different legal bodies (i.e. Police Scotland, COPFS and Scottish Courts)

Feedback: include the experience of the Indian population    
Response: included in final report

Feedback: include intersectional data within disaggregation, including gender of victim
Response: included in final report

Feedback: include further disaggregation of instances where the perpetrator is recorded as an acquaintance of the victim (e.g. do we mean a relative?)
Response: included in final report