[ad_1]
As the UK marks National Hate Crime Awareness Week, Transport for London is reminding customers to report any incidents they witness and to work together to tackle hate crime.
There were almost 1,500 hate crime incidents on public transport reported to the police in 2020/21, the majority of which related to the victim’s race or religion.
But it is thought that the actual number of hate crimes is far higher, as many go unreported.
Police figures also show that around a quarter of all incidents of aggression or violence towards TfL staff in 2020/21 were hate crimes.
Earlier this year as lockdown restrictions began to ease, TfL launched a series of new measures aimed at tackling hate crime and encouraging Londoners to report incidents if they witness them – including the “Hands Up” poster campaign and STARS educational resources for secondary schools.
Siwan Hayward, TfL’s director of compliance, policing operations and security, has reiterated the message that people should “report anything that makes you feel uncomfortable” and has urged Londoners to “stand together against hate”.
She said: “London is one of the most diverse cities in the world, with a long tradition of openness towards people of all faiths, nationalities and backgrounds. Tackling abuse and hate crime on our network is a priority for us and we’re proud to be working with the communities we serve and with the police to take action, protect our customers and staff and provide support to victims.”
As part of National Hate Crime Awareness Week, TfL will be working with officers from the Metropolitan Police and British Transport Police to engage with community groups to share ideas about tackling hate crimes on public transport.
Last month, the issue of hate crimes on London’s transport network was raised to Sadiq Khan during a meeting of the London Assembly.
Mr Khan said: “This is an issue that I take extremely seriously, and…
[ad_2]
Source : times
