Time for police to get real and clamp down on hate crime thugs

Alliance MLA Séan Neeson has called on the police to crack down harder on thugs committing hate crimes to send out a strong message. He called on them to take a more coherent and joined up approach to tackling such crimes. His comments come following questions being raised about the police’s clear-up of hate crime cases.

The East Antrim Assembly Member said: “The police need to send out a hard-hitting message on hate crime. They need to make more of an effort to clear up these crimes and stamp out all forms of prejudice.

“The authorities must develop a more coherent and joined-up approach to recording and tackling these crimes.

“The under-reporting of hate crimes is still a massive problem too. I would strongly encourage anyone who experiences or witnesses a hate crime to report it to the police, to ensure that more resources are allocated to catching perpetrators.”

ENDS