Danish police call for public to report hate crimes
The National Police has launched an initiative it hopes will encourage the public to report hate crimes.
Although annual police figures show little change in the amount of reported hate crimes, instances are not always reported, according to a National Police (Rigspolitiet) press release.
The police say they will continue working with interest organizations as well as launching a campaign to encourage witnesses and victims to report potential hate crimes.
A total of 449 hate crimes were registered in Denmark in 2018, compared to 446 the year before.
But the conclusions of the annual report suggest that more police resources are required regarding hate crime, according to Tenna Wilbert, head of the police’s National Prevention Centre (Nationalt Forebyggelsescenter) against extremism.
“Hate crime is a prioritized area which police have high focus on. But it is also a complex area because a hate crime can be anything from offensive shouts on the street to graffiti to serious violence, and it can be hard to ascertain what the motive is for the crime,” Wilbert said in the press release.
“If we are to be able to investigate and improve prevention, it’s important that we know the extent and know where hate crime is taking place. That’s why we are working to get … more people to report to police if they have been subjected to a hate crime,” she continued.
“We are doing that through increased partnership with interest organizations and through a new campaign,” Wilbert added.
The campaign is entitled ‘Stop hadet’ (Stop the Hate).
“It’s important that all hate crime is reported, even if it’s just a ‘smaller’ offense, like being verbally abused on the way home from a night out,” Wilbert said.
“Police can’t always find the persons responsible for a given incident, but every report helps to paint a picture of an area and show whether there’s a trend we need to tackle,” she said.
2018 saw 84 formal charges for hate crimes brought against 101 persons throughout the country, compared to 95 charges against 102 persons in 2017.
Hate crimes reported in 2018 consisted primarily of violence, vandalism, hate speech and threats. Of the 449 registered hate crimes, 89 took place on the internet, according to the police figures.
READ ALSO: High court upholds racism sentence against Danish politician
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Although annual police figures show little change in the amount of reported hate crimes, instances are not always reported, according to a National Police (Rigspolitiet) press release.
The police say they will continue working with interest organizations as well as launching a campaign to encourage witnesses and victims to report potential hate crimes.
A total of 449 hate crimes were registered in Denmark in 2018, compared to 446 the year before.
But the conclusions of the annual report suggest that more police resources are required regarding hate crime, according to Tenna Wilbert, head of the police’s National Prevention Centre (Nationalt Forebyggelsescenter) against extremism.
“Hate crime is a prioritized area which police have high focus on. But it is also a complex area because a hate crime can be anything from offensive shouts on the street to graffiti to serious violence, and it can be hard to ascertain what the motive is for the crime,” Wilbert said in the press release.
“If we are to be able to investigate and improve prevention, it’s important that we know the extent and know where hate crime is taking place. That’s why we are working to get … more people to report to police if they have been subjected to a hate crime,” she continued.
“We are doing that through increased partnership with interest organizations and through a new campaign,” Wilbert added.
The campaign is entitled ‘Stop hadet’ (Stop the Hate).
“It’s important that all hate crime is reported, even if it’s just a ‘smaller’ offense, like being verbally abused on the way home from a night out,” Wilbert said.
“Police can’t always find the persons responsible for a given incident, but every report helps to paint a picture of an area and show whether there’s a trend we need to tackle,” she said.
2018 saw 84 formal charges for hate crimes brought against 101 persons throughout the country, compared to 95 charges against 102 persons in 2017.
Hate crimes reported in 2018 consisted primarily of violence, vandalism, hate speech and threats. Of the 449 registered hate crimes, 89 took place on the internet, according to the police figures.
READ ALSO: High court upholds racism sentence against Danish politician
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