CPS Wessex assures public that hate crime is a priority

CPS Wessex, covering Dorset, Hampshire and Isle of Wight, and Wiltshire, has secured convictions in almost 85% of all hate crime cases this year.  Our prosecutors work closely with the police to ensure high quality casework and to deliver justice. 

As we approach the end of Hate Crime Awareness Week 2020, it is important that the public can have confidence that delivering justice for victims of hate crime is a priority for CPS Wessex.

Over the past year, prosecutors secured sentence uplifts in 79% of hate crime cases. This means that perpetrators of hate crime received a more serious punishment, often increasing from a community order to a term of imprisonment. 

We know that hate crime has an enormously damaging and profound effect on individuals and communities, which is why we invest in specialist training for our prosecutors, engage with our local communities to listen and learn from feedback, and make sure that we are seeking to secure increased punishments for perpetrators of hate crime.

Kate Anderson, CPS Wessex Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor and Hate Crime Lead says, “This week is Hate Crime Awareness Week. I want to make it clear that if you target a person because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or transgender identity, and commit a criminal offence against them, you will be prosecuted and can expect to receive an enhanced sentence. Prosecuting perpetrators of hate crime is a priority for CPS Wessex.”