1.     The following motion has been proposed by Councillor Hofman and seconded by Councillor Martins:

Hate Crime destroys lives and devastates communities, it attacks an individual's identity and can have an appalling and devastating impact on victims. People who experience such crimes can feel isolated and vulnerable and suffer from significant emotional and physical stress.

Sadly, since the Brexit referendum in 2016 the UK has experienced an unprecedented rise in hate crimes motivated by individuals and groups trying to promote a sense of “otherness” or discrimination towards people based on their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or transgender identity.

Watford Borough Council is committed to defending the rights of everyone in our area to live free from fear and discrimination. Council fully condemns hate crime in all its forms and strongly believes that any acts motivated by prejudice or hate against a person are totally unacceptable. Watford’s diverse population is one of our great strengths.

Council notes that:

Home Office figures for last year, showed that in 2017/18:

·       there were 94,098 hate crime offences recorded by the police in England and Wales, an increase of 17% compared with the previous year. This continues the upward trend in recent years with the number of hate crimes recorded by the police having more than doubled since 2012/13.

·       52% of religious hate crimes were targeted against Muslims (2,965 offences), with a further 12% targeted against Jews (672 offences).

·       At the same time, the charge rates have fallen. Only 12% of hate crimes reported to the police resulted in a charge in 2017/18, which is down from 21% in 2015/16.

Therefore, Watford Borough Council resolves to:

1.     Continue to ensure that all possible steps should be taken by Police Services at local level in consultation with local Government and other agencies and local communities to encourage the reporting of racist incidents and crimes.

2.     Commit to recruit volunteer Hate Crime Ambassadors from across the council family who will help raise awareness of the issue among their colleagues and partner organisations to ensure reporting.

3.     Challenge attitudes and behaviours that underpin hate crimes.

4.     Raise awareness of the impact of hate crime by supporting the annual Hate Crime Awareness Week and other initiatives.

5.     Stand up for the right of everyone in Watford to live free from hate.”

2.     The following motion has been proposed by Councillor Ezeifedi and seconded by Councillor Bell:

“This Council calls on the Mayor to initiate and introduce on an annual basis ‘Black History month’ to celebrate the rich contribution of the Afro-Caribbean community in our Town.”

Council was informed that two motions had been received.

Motion 1

The following motion was proposed by Councillor Hofman and seconded by Councillor Saffery

“Hate Crime destroys lives and devastates communities, it attacks an individual’s identity and can have an appalling and devastating impact on victims. People who experience such crimes can feel isolated and vulnerable and suffer from significant emotional and physical stress.

Sadly, since the Brexit referendum in 2016 the UK has experienced an unprecedented rise in hate crimes motivated by individuals and groups trying to promote a sense of “otherness” or discrimination towards people based on their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or transgender identity.

Watford Borough Council is committed to defending the rights of everyone in our area to live free from fear and discrimination. Council fully condemns hate crime in all its forms and strongly believes that any acts motivated by prejudice or hate against a person are totally unacceptable. Watford’s diverse population is one of our great strengths.

Council notes that

Home Office figures for last year, showed that in 2017/18:

·               There were 94,098 hat crime offences recorded by the police in England and Wales, an increase of 17% compared with the previous year. This continues the upward trend in recent years with the number of hate crimes recorded by the police having more than doubled since 2012/13.

·               52% of religious hate crimes were targeted against Muslims (2,965 offences), with a further 12% targeted against Jews (672 offences).

·               At the same time, the charge rates have fallen.  Only 12% of hate crimes reported to the police resulted in a charge in 2017/18, which is down from 21% in 2015/16.

Therefore Watford Borough Council resolves to:

1.      Continue to ensure that all possible steps should be taken by the Police Services at local level in consultation with local Government and other agencies and local communities to encourage the reporting of racist incidents and crimes.

2.      Commit to recruit volunteer Hate Crime Ambassadors from across the council family who will help raise awareness of the issue among their colleagues and partner organisations to ensure reporting.

3.      Challenge attitudes and behaviours that underpin hate crimes.

4.      Raise awareness of the impact of hate crime by supporting the annual Hate Crime Awareness Week and other initiatives.

5.      Stand up for the right of everyone in Watford to live free from hate.”

Members debated the motion.

On being put to council the motion was AGREED.

RESOLVED –

Hate Crime destroys lives and devastates communities, it attacks an individual’s identity and can have an appalling and devastating impact on victims. People who experience such crimes can feel isolated and vulnerable and suffer from significant emotional and physical stress.

Sadly, since the Brexit referendum in 2016 the UK has experienced an unprecedented rise in hate crimes motivated by individuals and groups trying to promote a sense of “otherness” or discrimination towards people based on their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or transgender identity.

Watford Borough Council is committed to defending the rights of everyone in our area to live free from fear and discrimination. Council fully condemns hate crime in all its forms and strongly believes that any acts motivated by prejudice or hate against a person are totally unacceptable. Watford’s diverse population is one of our great strengths.

Council notes that

Home Office figures for last year, showed that in 2017/18:

·               There were 94,098 hat crime offences recorded by the police in England and Wales, an increase of 17% compared with the previous year. This continues the upward trend in recent years with the number of hate crimes recorded by the police having more than doubled since 2012/13.

·               52% of religious hate crimes were targeted against Muslims (2,965 offences), with a further 12% targeted against Jews (672 offences).

·               At the same time, the charge rates have fallen.  Only 12% of hate crimes reported to the police resulted in a charge in 2017/18, which is down from 21% in 2015/16.

Therefore Watford Borough Council resolves to:

1.      Continue to ensure that all possible steps should be taken by the Police Services at local level in consultation with local Government and other agencies and local communities to encourage the reporting of racist incidents and crimes.

2.      Commit to recruit volunteer Hate Crime Ambassadors from across the council family who will help raise awareness of the issue among their colleagues and partner organisations to ensure reporting.

3.      Challenge attitudes and behaviours that underpin hate crimes.

4.      Raise awareness of the impact of hate crime by supporting the annual Hate Crime Awareness Week and other initiatives.

5.      Stand up for the right of everyone in Watford to live free from hate.

Motion 2

The following motion was moved by Councillor Ezeifedi and seconded by Councillor Bell

“This Council calls on the Mayor to initiate and introduce on an annual basis ‘Black History month’ to celebrate the rich contribution of the Afro-Caribbean community in our town.”

Following discussions with representatives from the Liberal Democrat Group, it was agreed that the original motion would be amended and read as follows –

“This council calls on the Mayor and council to actively support and promote the annual ‘Black history month celebrations’ to celebrate the rich contribution of the African Caribbean community in our town.”

Members debated the motion.

On being put to Council the amended motion was AGREED.

RESOLVED –

This council calls on the Mayor and council to actively support and promote the annual ‘Black history month celebrations’ to celebrate the rich contribution of the African Caribbean community in our town.