Annual Equality Report 2022

Victim Care

In 2022, Devon & Cornwall Police through our victim care unit, has trialled a dedicated hate crime desk. This has helped the force identify better ways for victims of hate crime to have their needs met and for the force to deliver the enhanced service as detailed under the Victims Code.

Feedback from victim satisfaction surveys and other data is shared with Independent Advisors who are members of the Hate Crime Scrutiny group made up of individuals from some of our diverse communities. Their role includes advising the force on the questions asked to victims, with the potential that going forward, those who more recently have been a victim of hate crime will participate in future hate crime reference or scrutiny activity.

Getting it right

Ensuring a more robust response when investigating a hate crime has seen the Force develop local geographic hate crime specialists. These specialists give additional oversight and support to investigating officers and teams; delivering any additional learning identified. Their role also reinforces the learning which members of the workforce have received through the roll out of the Hate Crime E Learning Package across the Force.

Focussed data provided through our performance and analysis dept. is regularly reviewed by members of the workforce who make up the geographic Diverse Communities Teams, who advise on activity to address:

• spikes in hate crime activity linked to specific areas or communities;
• changing patterns in hate crime reporting where there are sudden dips in reporting from particular protected characteristics;
• a change in the type of hate crime being experienced by particular communities.

Overseeing work on this equality objective is the Hate Crime Improvement Group. 

2 Violence Against Women & Girls: Identify and protect vulnerable and ‘seldom heard’ victims

• Protecting women and girls in public spaces, at home and online.
• Working with partner agencies and communities to improve prevention.                 
• Bringing offenders to justice, use of rehabilitation and reform and improving  Criminal Justice outcomes for victims.
• Ensure positive workplace cultures leading to higher professional standards.

Working alongside local partners, the Safety of Women at Night (Exeter) project was launched in 2022, following a successful funding bid to the Home Office. The funding has enabled additional training to those working within the night-time economy, re-energising the existing ‘Best Bar None’ scheme, and supporting the establishment of a ‘safe space’ within central Exeter, during hotspot times in the night-time economy.

Enabling women to feel safe within the night-time economy has included targeting resources under the umbrella of Project Vigilant. Adapted from a similar project introduced with Thames Valley Police; specific training has been provided to police officers, whose role is to:

• explicitly intervene when sexually predatory behaviour has been identified
• gather intelligence on potential perpetrators for further disruption, assisting future investigations and offender management
• identify those at greatest risk and safeguard them through engagement and advice.

In addition to the targeted patrols, key activity undertaken under the project has been to provide additional training to CCTV operatives and engaging with partners such as taxi firms.