Race Equality First in partnership with Cardiff University and Cardiff and the Vale Equality and Human Rights Network has been awarded a grant by the Big Lottery Fund to carry out research into the extent and impact of hate crime in Wales.  This 3-year study will consider hate crime in relation to all recognised equality strands.

The Association of Chief Police Officers defines a hate crime as “any hate incident, which constitutes a criminal offence, which is perceived by the victim or any other person, as being motivated by prejudice or hate”.  Hate crime devastates lives. It targets individuals at the level of their personal identity and creates fear within communities, but reporting levels are amongst the lowest for all crimes.

This project aims to produce data that can be used to help organisations in Wales to develop evidence-based policy and practice to combat hate crime and provide support for victims. It will produce robust information on levels of incidents, reporting and underreporting, as well as key information such as the profile of perpetrators and hate crime “hotspots.”