Written Question · S5W-22167 · Session 5
For what reason its publication, Developing Information on Hate Crime Recorded by the Police in Scotland, does not include protected charac…
The question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason its publication, Developing Information on Hate Crime Recorded by the Police in Scotland, does not include protected characteristic information related to victims or perpetrators, as committed to in its publication, National Statistics on Recorded Crime in Scotland 2017-2018, and as previously available in the report, Racist Incidents Recorded by the Police in Scotland.
The answer
As outlined in the report ‘Developing Information on Hate Crime Recorded by the Police in Scotland’, further information on the nature of each hate crime the police deal with is recorded in Police Scotland's Interim Vulnerable Persons Database (IVPD). For example, this includes the age, gender and ethnicity of those involved, and the perceived motivations of the perpetrator.
It should be noted that a person does not need to be a member of a particular social group to be the victim of a hate crime. The law states that the identity of the victim is irrelevant as to whether something is a hate crime or not; the motivation of the perpetrator is the key factor in defining a hate crime. As such, Police Scotland do not generally collect information on whether or not a victim is a member of a particular social group in relation to the protected characteristics (with the exception of their ethnicity). Furthermore, the functionality of the IVPD does not currently allow victims to be distinguished from those reporting a hate crime to the police (where these are two different people). This is similar to the previous Racist Incidents Recorded by the Police in Scotland statistics.
Following publication of the Recorded Crime in Scotland 2017-2018 National Statistics, and while collaborating on the report ‘Developing Information on Hate Crime Recorded by the Police in Scotland’, Police Scotland fed back that further work was required on the more detailed information recorded in the IVPD on hate crime, prior to its dissemination. Police Scotland have been reviewing the process used by officers to enter this information into the database, with the aim of ensuring that should more detailed analysis on the nature of hate crime be regularly drawn from the IVPD, users can be assured of its quality.
Scottish Government statisticians will continue to engage with Police Scotland as they take this work forward, and will inform users through the SCOTSTAT network [1] of any new developments regarding the availability of hate crime information.
I have raised this issue directly with the Chair of the Scottish Police Authority and the Chief Constable.
[1] Network for users and providers of Scottish Official Statistics ( https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/scotstat )
It should be noted that a person does not need to be a member of a particular social group to be the victim of a hate crime. The law states that the identity of the victim is irrelevant as to whether something is a hate crime or not; the motivation of the perpetrator is the key factor in defining a hate crime. As such, Police Scotland do not generally collect information on whether or not a victim is a member of a particular social group in relation to the protected characteristics (with the exception of their ethnicity). Furthermore, the functionality of the IVPD does not currently allow victims to be distinguished from those reporting a hate crime to the police (where these are two different people). This is similar to the previous Racist Incidents Recorded by the Police in Scotland statistics.
Following publication of the Recorded Crime in Scotland 2017-2018 National Statistics, and while collaborating on the report ‘Developing Information on Hate Crime Recorded by the Police in Scotland’, Police Scotland fed back that further work was required on the more detailed information recorded in the IVPD on hate crime, prior to its dissemination. Police Scotland have been reviewing the process used by officers to enter this information into the database, with the aim of ensuring that should more detailed analysis on the nature of hate crime be regularly drawn from the IVPD, users can be assured of its quality.
Scottish Government statisticians will continue to engage with Police Scotland as they take this work forward, and will inform users through the SCOTSTAT network [1] of any new developments regarding the availability of hate crime information.
I have raised this issue directly with the Chair of the Scottish Police Authority and the Chief Constable.
[1] Network for users and providers of Scottish Official Statistics ( https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/scotstat )
In the Official Report
No contribution in the Official Report cites S5W-22167 by reference.