Council leader calls for people to report hate crime

Marion Atkinson urged people to consider what they share online

A council leader has urged anyone who experiences hate crime to report it.

Sefton Council's Marion Atkinson said she was backing a Merseyside Police commitment to dealing with incidents of hate crime, which were believed to be under reported.

It follows recent disorder in Southport and Liverpool which Ms Atkinson said was the result of people spreading misinformation online.

She added anyone who experienced assault, threats, harassment, who has property damaged or who received offensive letters, online abuse or graffiti to report it.

A police van was set on fire outside a mosque in Southport on 31 July

"Sefton Council has a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of hate crime targeted at people because of their race or ethnic identity, religion or belief, disability, sexual orientation or transgender identity," Ms Atkinson said.

"The more people who report hate crimes, the better understanding the authorities can get and the more they can do to prevent it from happening."

Merseyside Police has dedicated hate crime co-ordinators who lead teams of officers who monitor, assess, and investigate hate crimes and ensure victims were supported.

The force also works with community leaders, councils, businesses and residents in affected communities.

Referring to recent riots in the region, Ms Atkinson said: "Sadly, we have seen all to clearly the results of people spreading misinformation online."

She urged people to "think before sharing" and to ask themselves if the information had come from a "trusted source".

"Just a few seconds' thought can prevent an awful lot of harm," she added.

The force's police and crime commissioner Emily Spurrell also urged people to think carefully before sharing information online.

"We are seeing more and more examples of misinformation and rumour being circulated as fact online, often done with malicious intent or with a specific purpose of influencing other people's opinions," she said.

"This is something we all need to be aware of and have in the back of our minds when viewing information online."