A REPORT by a West Yorkshire-based anti-racist charity has claimed that hate crime in the region is being under-reported, while feelings of "fear and mistrust" between black and brown communities and the police - which stem from both "historical and current institutional and systemic racism" - remain.

The Racial Justice Network (RJN) - which has a base in Leeds and an office on Bradford's North Parade - says the way police record hate crimes, coupled with long waiting times and delays, has led to victims being reluctant to come forward.

The report argues that racial tension has increased over recent years amid Brexit, and this year in the wake of coronavirus, yet people from 'BAME communities' may still under-report hate crimes to the police.

This is because, it argues, they believe police do not deal with such incidents quickly enough, with delays only prolonging the "emotional trauma" victims have already been through.

Furthermore, the Home Office hostile environment policy - a set of government policies designed to make life in the UK for people without leave to remain so difficult that they want to leave voluntarily - has increased the role and the perception of the police as being more akin to a border force, the RJN claims.

The report references research by the International Network for Hate Studies - analysis of the Crime Survey for England and Wales suggests that, between 2015 and 2016, approximately 110,160 hate crimes were reported to the police.

Yet, official police statistics for the same period recorded just 62,518 hate crimes, suggesting only 57 per cent of those incidents reported to the police were actually recorded as hate crimes, the report says.

It also explores further secondary data, adding: "An analysis of the Home Office report on hate crime by The Independent concluded: 'the statisticians who compiled the report said that it was possible that some crimes - which the victim believed to be racially-motivated - were not being assessed as such by the police'.

"It found that a staggering 80 per cent of allegations of racially or religiously-motivated crime are not investigated. Less than one-third of these result in court proceedings, let alone convictions."

Penny Wangari-Jones, RJN’s Director, said: “At the RJN we understand the gravity of speaking of injustices faced by black, brown and migrant communities within West Yorkshire.

"Our report emerged as a result of individuals seeking out support through RJN as a result of police inaction, poor communication and lack of support.

"Hate crime increased in 2016 and we know through experience that it will increase again, as Brexit talks re-surface. The BLM movements across the globe highlighted injustices that exist within policing and the justice system. COVID-19 also highlights the disproportionate effect on racially-minoritised communities.

"This, teamed with obstacles set in place by the hostile environment policy, have left black, brown and migrant communities in a state of fear and anxiety and general distrust in the police. The report is a further reminder that marginalised communities face oppressions everyday and that these barriers and oppressions are a result of colonial legacies embedded within society, which we are committed to challenging."

In response to the report, Assistant Chief Constable Angela Williams of West Yorkshire Police said: “We have noted this report, and are looking at the opportunities it presents for us all.

“We have recorded a substantial increase in hate crime in West Yorkshire in recent years and much of this can be attributed to our ethical crime recording, of which West Yorkshire Police received an ‘outstanding’ grade when inspected recently by Her Majesties Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services.

“The force has also made substantial efforts to encourage victims to come forward and report such matters. For many years we have used our ‘hate hurts campaign’ to raise awareness regarding what constitutes a hate crime and how this differs from a hate incident. We have gone to great lengths to encourage third-party hate crime recording centres, for those victims who don’t feel able to come forward directly to the police.

“We absolutely want victims of hate crime from all our communities to report offences and we employ dedicated Hate Crime Coordinators across the districts in order to assist Investigating Officers in identifying perpetrators, provide support for victims and increase awareness of hate crime.

“We work closely with Local Authorities, Victim Support and the numerous community groups to ensure that victims, witnesses and other affected parties are supported and have the opportunity to report incidents in many different ways”.

The Racial Justice Network report can be viewed by clicking here.