A BRAND new technology tool has been introduced by the Haringey police in order to tackle hate crimes in schools in Tottenham and Wood Green, as part of a drive organised with partner Haringey Council during National Hate Crime Awareness week (14-21 October).
Working in partnership with Stand Up! Workshops will take place at schools in order to tackle hate crime and showing them how they can report cases of hate crime via an app called ‘Self Evident’. Places of worship in the areas will also be visited by the officers in order to provide more information on the hate crimes.
Detective Sergeant Matthew Lever from Haringey’s Community Safety Unit hopes the app will “not only raise awareness but also encourage people to report cases to the police, knowing that each case will be listened to”.
The new app will enable people to report incidents, keep evidence via photos and also record witness statement which can be sent directly to the police and support agencies. The app will also be free of charge to download.
Det Sgt Lever continued “this new app gives us direct contact with the complainant… visual evidence is very impactive in court and can now be sent in by anyone with a smart phone”.
Information cards will be given out to the public via transport stations and tube stations such as Seven Sisters and Woodgreen which will give more information on how to use app and what it is used for. Billboards will also be placed by the Harringay Council with a message that will encourage the public to report any hate crime they have witness or facing.
National Hate Crime Awareness Week culminates in Haringey with an event at the Civic Centre in Wood Green on 19th October from 6-8pm where female ambassadors and reps from groups such as Tell Mama and the Community Security Trust will talk about hate crime –reflecting that fact that 75% of those reporting hate crimes are female.
Detective Inspector Fareed Mirza who heads up the Community Safety Unit at Haringey said “This is a battle the police can’t win by themselves. It will take us all to work together to bring perpetrators to justice and to inspire hope in victims”.