“It’s not Really Hate Crime” – Reframing Hate Crime as not Police Business” – Police Narratives of Resistance and Denial

Abstract

Within a global pandemic and increased questioning of police utility and legitimacy around racism and violence against women and girls (VAWG), this article examines the gap between police policy and practices on hate crime. Based on research with police forces in Canada and the UK, it demonstrates how police officers view hate crime through a policing rather than victim-centred mandate. Without reframing hate crime as a public and community safety issue, hate crime policies and procedures designed to ‘take hate crime seriously’ are unlikely to do just that. Real ‘commitment’ is needed to tackle hate crime as part of the police mandate and role – otherwise hate crime policies remain a largely tick-box exercise.