Local Bay Police officers joined with local Councillors, and members of the Community, to launch National Hate Crime Awareness Week, at Sandown’s Broadway Centre.

The campaign’s objective is to encourage authorities, key partners, business and voluntary sector agencies, and communities that may be affected by hate crime to work together to tackle local hate crime issues, with the Broadway a reporting location.

Sandown Town Mayor Alex Lightfoot said ‘The Town Council has witnessed, first hand, threatening and abusive behaviour, and are fully supportive of this partnership approach to addressing this issue.’

Launch organisers PCSO Webb and PCSO May added ‘Only by working together, and sharing resources, knowledge and experience, can we continue the fight against Hate Crime at all levels.’

Organisers wish to promote HOPE:

H – raising Hate crime awareness

O- improving Operational responses

P – Preventing hate crime; and

E – enabling community Engagement

The launch also included representatives from Townswomen Guild, local church and line dancers.