Bernard Durkan
Question:
599. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the extent to which hate speeches, hate crime and racism continue to be addressed in all areas throughout the country without exception; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16719/22]
View answer
The Deputy will be aware that the Government is fully committed to the fight against racism, prejudice and bigotry, and strongly condemns the actions of those who abuse and attack others because of their own prejudices against a person’s religion, ethnic origins, sexual orientation or any other part of their identity as a human being. Ireland is a diverse and tolerant country, and such behaviour is not acceptable.
Goal 1of Justice Plan is focused on tackling crime, enhancing national security and transforming policing.
Under Justice Plan 2021 I committed to publishing the General Scheme for a new Hate Crime Bill. On the 16 April 2021 I published the General Scheme of the Criminal Justice (Hate Crime) Bill 2021, the text of which can be accessed on my Department's website. Following its publication, the General Scheme was referred to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice for pre-legislative scrutiny, which took place on 17 November 2021.
I recently published Justice Plan 2022 and it commits to advancing this work and to publishing the Hate Crime Bill in quarter 2 of this year.
The Bill will create new, aggravated forms of certain existing criminal offences, where those offences are motivated by prejudice against a protected characteristic. The protected characteristics set out in the General Scheme are race; colour; nationality; religion, ethnic or national origin; sexual orientation; gender; or disability.
The aggravated offences will generally carry an enhanced penalty, compared to the ordinary offence, and the record of any conviction for such an offence would clearly state that the offence was a hate crime.
I intend to publish the new Hate Crime Bill in the summer.
In addition to my work on this legislation, my colleague, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth is taking forward the Government commitment to publish a National Action Plan against Racism.
To be of assistance to the Deputy, I have reached out to An Garda Síochána to request information they may have on incidences of hate motivated offences and I will follow up directly with the Deputy when any relevant information is received.
The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51
I refer to your Parliamentary Question No. 599 of 29 March 2022 asking the extent to which hate speeches, hate crime and racism continue to be addressed in all areas throughout the country without exception. You will recall that at the time I had reached out to An Garda Síochána to request information they may have on incidences of hate motivated offences and I undertook to forward any relevant information when received.
I am advised by the Garda authorities that, as part of An Garda Síochána’s ongoing national response to hate crime, the Garda National Diversity and Integration Unit (GNDIU) provide assurance to members of the public in relation to reports of hostility or hate-based occurrences. This includes daily monitoring of all recorded hate crimes / Incidents on PULSE and Social Media, providing hate crime training, supporting investigating members, advising investigations and providing assurance to victims and their communities.
Hate Crime Definitions
I am further advised that An Garda Síochána Diversity and Integration Strategy 2019-2021, launched in October 2019, contains definitions for Hate Crime and Non-Crime Hate Incidents as follows:
Hate Crime
Any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person to, in whole or in part, be motivated by hostility or prejudice, based on actual or perceived age, disability, race, colour, nationality, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or gender.
Non Crime Hate Incidents (Hate Incident)
Any non-crime incident which is perceived by any person to, in whole or in part, be motivated by hostility or prejudice, based on actual or perceived age, disability, race, colour, nationality, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or gender.
The inclusion of any “other person” (witness, Garda, family member, friend, other person acting in the best interest of the victim) and the adoption of a low threshold perception test are designed to encourage reporting of hate crime and hate incidents. The perception alone can determine whether a hate crime / incident can be recorded. No corroborating evidence is required to take a report.
Garda Diversity Officers (GDOs)
GDOs are Gardaí and Sergeants, trained, developed and supported to actively engage with and attend to the concerns of minority, diverse and hard to reach communities - providing reassurance, building trust and extending the accessibility of the Garda Service. They also assist with hate crime investigations where appropriate.
In 2021, the GNDIU carried out a full review of the GDO network, which included current strength, geographical spread and training assessments. This resulted in the development of a revised role profile and training programme. There are currently 311 GDOs throughout the country in every Garda division, who are also supported by a Divisional Inspector with a Diversity Portfolio. An up-to-date GDO list is published on the Garda website.
Divisional Diversity Inspectors
There is an Inspector in each Garda division with responsibility for the Diversity portfolio who is available to provide guidance and support in relation to the investigation of hate crimes and hate incidents. TAHCLE (Training Against Hate Crimes for Law Enforcement) was provided by the Fundamental Rights Agency to all Diversity Inspectors in 2020.
Hate Crime / Diversity Training
Following a full independent review of Garda Diversity Training in January 2020, a new organisational approach to training is in the final stages of development and will be delivered throughout 2022. The training programme will increase Garda confidence in dealing with reports of racially motivated / hate crime.
The new bespoke online training programme was developed in conjunction with community representatives and Civil Society Organisations who have contributed valuable content to the programme. This has provided a welcome opportunity for diverse / minority groups to inform Garda training, ensuring the policing needs of all communities are addressed. The programme includes:
Online Hate Crime Training – rollout to begin in April, 2022
Online Diversity and Cultural Awareness Training – Q3, 2022
Online Leadership in Diversity in Policing Training – Q3, 2022
Additional Hate Crime Training – developed and delivered by GNDIU
GISC Call Takers
Throughout 2021, online training and guidance has been provided to call takers, reviewers and data quality teams in the Garda Information Service Centre (GISC) to ensure all hate crimes / incidents are recorded to the highest standard. An instructional video has also been recorded as a training guide. The availability of reliable data is essential for resource allocation, identification of trends, crime hotspots, repeat offending and repeat victimisation.
999 Call Handlers
To ensure the sensitive handling of hate-related calls, training commenced with 999 Call Handlers in 2021 and video training was recorded in Q1 2022.
PAF Administrators
Online hate crime training was delivered, in 2021, to PAF Administrators who are responsible, at district level, for the content and data quality of all PULSE incidents.
GDOs
With the lifting of COVID restrictions on public gatherings, in-person training has resumed for GDOs. Training commenced for 60 GDOs in the DMR and a number of training seminars are planned for 2022 in each Garda region.
During Covid restrictions, bespoke online training was provided for GDOs to address local policing requirements.
Specialist Units
Hate crime training is also provided, on a needs basis, for Specialist Interviewers, Immigration Officers, Dublin Airport Gardaí, Victims Offices, Armed Support Units etc.
Stakeholder training / awareness
Hate crime awareness training is also provided to the DPPs Office and Crime Victims Helpline. GNDIU also work in conjunction with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to provide Hate Crime Awareness to refugees / immigrant groups in Ireland. Information is also provided to residents in Direct Provision Centres.
Ongoing Training
Regular online training is offered by the OSCE / ODIHR (Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights) in relation to the treatment of Victims of Hate Crime. The next course “Sensitive and Respectful Treatment for Victims of Hate Crime” will be held in mid-April 2022, for a selection of GDOs, Diversity Inspectors and personnel from Garda Victims Offices.
Revisions to PULSE
In October 2020, an update to the Garda PULSE system introduced a number of measures to improve the reporting and recording of hate crimes and hate incidents on PULSE. The introduction of a mandatory hate-related tick box with associated discriminatory motives ensure data is recorded accurately. The introduction of the “H” hate-identifier allows for more efficient recording and analysis of hate-related data e.g. identifying trends, repeat offending and repeat victimisation. This allows for a more victim-focused Garda response.
Discriminatory motives are searchable on the Pulse System which allows for analysis of hate crime data specific to victims who were targeted because of their race / ethnicity / colour etc.
Daily Monitoring of Hate Crimes / Incidents
In line with the commitment in the Diversity and Integration Strategy, a monitoring unit was established to provide assurance to members of the public in relation to reports of hostility or hate-based occurrences. This includes daily monitoring of all recorded hate crimes / incidents on PULSE and Social Media, supporting investigating members, advising investigations and providing assurance to victims and their communities.
Policy and Procedures
To increase confidence and provide support and direction to Garda members in identifying, recording, investigating and prosecuting hate crime, a Policy Document - Responding to hate crime and non-crime hate incidents was developed and published in 2021. Additional procedures, aide memoire and information sheets have been provided to all Garda personnel and published on internal platforms.
Online Hate Crime Reporting
A new, non-emergency online hate crime reporting mechanism was launched in July 2021 to improve accessibility to the Garda service for victims of all types of hate crime. It is available via www.garda.ie and provides a safe and secure environment for victims, who may previously have been reluctant to report in person to An Garda Síochána.
Hate Crime Campaigns
A number of publicity campaigns have been held – a poster and social media campaign following the publication of the hate crime definitions; a social, news and written media campaign in support of the launch of the online hate crime reporting system, which included publicity and explanatory videos on garda.ie (scripted in 19 languages); and a hate crime information campaign with the publication of hate crime leaflets in 19 languages. Leaflets are available on garda.ie and in Garda stations. They were also circulated through the GDO network, CSOs and community groups.
Internal communication platforms were utilised to publicise hate crime information in conjunction with public campaigns. A further hate crime publicity campaign is planned for 2022.
Public Events
The GNDIU utilise opportunities at public events (e.g. India Day, Diwali, World Hijab Day, Holi, Open days and other community events) to publicise hate crime information and provide leaflets in all the relevant languages.
Social Media
The GNDI utilise Garda social media to mark relevant days / events in the diversity calendar. Social media posts include links to hate crime information and reporting system, when appropriate.
The Community Policing Toolkit
The Garda National Community Engagement Bureau launched an online Community Policing Toolkit in 2021. The Toolkit is hosted in a secure location on garda.ie and contains a variety of resources to inform and assist Gardaí when engaging with communities. It also contains a dedicated Diversity section containing useful information relating to hate crime and policing diverse / minority communities.
