The second seminar in our social justice and community impact series focused on the critical issues of hate crime and anti-social behaviour. This session brought together experts to discuss innovative approaches and share valuable insights relevant to community safety practitioners in Wales.
Understanding the Impact of Hate Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour
Dr. Lella Nuri presented the Street Snap project, which aims to report and monitor hateful graffiti and visuals. The project, co-produced with Bridgend County Council, has significantly impacted hate crime reporting. Dr. Nuri highlighted the detrimental effects of hate visuals on communities, including heightened perceptions of insecurity, fear, and threat. The Street Snap project offers a formalised system to address these issues, making it easier to report, remove, understand, and change hateful graffiti.
Sharon McLaughlin from Resolve discussed the widespread and underreported nature of anti-social behaviour. She shared data from a YouGov survey, emphasizing the severe impact on communities, including feelings of unsafety, mental health issues, and forced relocations. Sharon also addressed the barriers to reporting anti-social behaviour, such as lack of knowledge on how to report and the belief that nothing would be done.
Innovative Projects and Government Initiatives
The seminar also introduced the Flip the Streets project, which uses instances of hate graffiti as a starting point for conversations with communities, particularly young people. This project has been instrumental in community engagement and destigmatising conversations around race and protective characteristics.
Sharon McLaughlin provided an overview of the government’s response to anti-social behaviour, including initiatives like safer streets, community-led policing, and clear performance standards. She also discussed the Crime and Policing Bill, which includes provisions for respect orders, housing injunctions, youth injunctions, closure powers, community protection warnings, and mandatory data collection.
Find out more
Watch the recording of the seminar and view the slide pack to gain a deeper understanding of the discussed topics and explore the innovative approaches to tackling hate crime and anti-social behaviour.
