18 May 2012
Commenting on hate crime statistics published today, which show that the number of charges reported for all categories of hate crime increased in 2011-12, Scottish Labour’s Shadow Community Safety Minister, Jenny Marra MSP, said:
“The fact that hate crime has increased across the board – will in part be due to improved reporting – but I fear these statistics, for the first time, begin to shine a light on the true scale of hate crime in Scotland.
"We must continue to send the strongest possible message that hate crime of any sort is never acceptable and will always be dealt with the full force of the law.
"A significant amount of work is required to tackle the root causes of these crimes.
“Education is at the heart of tackling negative attitudes, and the earlier the intervention the better.
“That is why we must ensure schools have positive policies in place for improving indiscipline and tackling bullying – particularly for areas of bullying that are worrying on the rise, such as cyber bullying.
"It is vital too that we ensure that those convicted of hate crimes are challenged on their behaviour and intolerance is challenged whatever form it takes."
