The ‘Saving Lives, Reducing Harm, Protecting the Public; An Action Plan for Tackling Violence 2008-11’ committed us to producing a dedicated cross-Government action plan to assist local partners in developing their responses to hate crime. This strategic action plan involves a number of actions that will aim to increase victim and community confidence in the criminal justice system, help prevent hate crimes from occurring or escalating in seriousness; and improve access to and take up of victim support. The action plan will be published over the summer.
The Government have also introduced an offence of inciting hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation in the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008. We expect the provisions on incitement to hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation to come into force in the autumn.