Local News - 04 January 2006
The Open Out Scheme Explained

Hate crime is verbal or physical abuse of a person based on their race, religion, sexuality, gender, disability or other identifiable feature. Many Hate crime incidents go unreported leaving offenders free to commit similar offences with impunity. Indeed many offenders consider minority communities to be an easy target because so many incidents are never recorded.

Even when they are, the person reporting may feel uncomfortable notifying the police about a Hate crime incident. There are a number of reasons why this might be the case. For example, an individual may worry that they will not be taken seriously, they may fear that making a complaint will make the situation worse or they may simply say “this is just the way things are”. Open Out, a scheme for reporting Hate crimes, recognises these kinds of fears and want to assure you that all incidents are dealt with respectfully, sensitively and confidentially.

You should report incidents that you believe are motivated by racism, faith hate, homophobia, transphobia, or because of a disability. Actions such as: - harassment by neighbours or within the workplace, bullying, derogatory verbal comments, damage to property, should all be reported. There are several ways you can do this. In an emergency you can contact the police directly on 999. Additionally, there are officers who specialise in dealing with Hate crime incidents. You can report to the Hate Crime Manager for Cambridge Sgt Karen Clegg on: 01223 823285. All incidents are taken seriously!

You can also report incidents via the Open Out scheme. Open Out is a countywide collaborative project. The main project ‘collaborators’ being, Cambridgeshire Police, Cambridge Racial Incident Support Project (CRISP) and Cambridge City Council Racial Harassment Service. The scheme was set up primarily to tackle the under-reporting of racist Hate crime incidents. Reporting centres have been established within the community to allow Hate crime incidents to be reported easily and provide an alternative to contacting the police directly. You can report online: www.report-it.org.uk, or you can report directly to the Open Out Co-ordinator on: 01223 823552 or email Marie.Mckearney@cambs.pnn.police.uk.  Reports are forwarded to the Open Out team and you will be contacted to discuss how you want the incident to be dealt with. Reports can also be made anonymously.

Why should you report incidents? If these crimes are not reported, criminals who target minority communities will remain free to commit further crimes. They will perceive your community to be an easy target because you suffer in silence. HATE CRIME HURTS. Reporting it enables Open Out and affiliated agencies to highlight areas of concern and take appropriate steps. Hate crime is UNACCEPTABLE. Remember no matter how small an incident seems, you may have vital information that can assist us in the capture of criminals that target minority communities. By reporting it - no matter how small an incident seems - you may be able to prevent these crimes from happening to someone else and make Cambridgeshire a safer place for you, your friends, your family and all the community. Still not sure whether to report? Below are two more reasons:

• Stephen Lawrence
• Jody Dobrowski