Policing Hate Crime Understanding Communities and Prejudice

In a contemporary setting of increasing social division and marginalisation, Policing Hate Crime interrogates the complexities of prejudice motivated crime and effective policing practices. Hate crime has become a barometer for contemporary police relations with vulnerable and marginalised communities. But how do police effectively lead conversations with such communities about problems arising from prejudice? Contemporary police are expected to be active agents in the pursuit of social justice and human rights by stamping out prejudice and group-based animosity. At the same time, police have been criticised in over-policing targeted communities as potential perpetrators, as well as under-policing these same communities as victims of crime. Despite this history, the demand for impartial law enforcement requires police to change their engagement with targeted communities and kindle trust as priorities in strengthening their response to hate crime. Drawing upon a research partnership between police and academics, this book entwines current law enforcement responses with key debates on the meaning of hate crime to explore the potential for misunderstandings of hate crime between police and communities, and illuminates ways to overcome communication difficulties. This book will be important reading for students taking courses in hate crime, as well as victimology, policing, and crime and community.

Part I: Introduction 1. Introduction Part II: Context for Policing Hate Crime in Victoria 2. Hate Crime Terminology and Meaning: Setting the Scene 3. Hate Crime and Policing: Police, Community and Social Change 4. Victoria Police and the Prejudice Motivated Crime Strategy Part III: The Research 5. Is It All in the Name? Changing Terminologies, Community Perceptions of Police and Willingness to Report Hate Crime 6. Training Police on Prejudice Motivated Crime (with Toby Miles-Johnson) 7. The Prejudice Motivated Crime Strategy and Hate Crime Reporting (with Kathryn Benier) 8. Identification: The Markers of Prejudice Motivated Crime Part IV: Conclusion 9. Conclusion: Deep Diving References Index

Gail Mason is Professor of Criminology at the University of Sydney JaneMaree Maher is Associate Professor in the Centre for Women’s Studies and Gender Research, Sociology at Monash University Jude McCulloch is Professor of Criminology at Monash University Sharon Pickering is Professor of Criminology at Monash University Rebecca Wickes is Associate Professor at the School of Social Sciences, Monash University Carolyn McKay lectures in criminal law, procedure and the legal profession at the University of Sydney