Mate crime: The grooming of vulnerable people

Hate crime against disabled people is said to be on the rise, including so-called "mate crime", where people pretend to befriend a vulnerable person, while secretly stealing from or abusing them.

Mate crime is often difficult for police to investigate, due to its sometimes ambiguous nature. Campaigners believe the problem is a far more serious situation than is currently reported in statistics.

In this audio, originally aired on the Ouch talk show, the problem is discussed by campaigning journalist Katharine Quarmby and Mike Smith, who's co-author of an EHCR inquiry into disability harassment. The presenters are Kate Monaghan and Rob Crossan.

Read a transcript of the full show which includes the above item.

More on disability hate crime

• Report a hate crime online: This form takes you to your local police force where you can report a crime whether motivated by disability, race, sexuality, religion or other (the form should not be used to report emergency situations in progress).

• The Disability Hate Crime Network is on Facebook. They are a group of concerned individuals and organisations who challenge on matters of law and legislation.

• Read the 100 Voices report on personal safety for people with learning difficulties (PDF, published 24 October)

• "Mate crime": Fake friend abuse that can end in murder: BBC news story giving examples of how people have stolen from, or abused, disabled people who believe them to be friends.