New research project launched on Monday 15th November.

The launch event was held at Medway Police Station and was supported by Medway Council, Kent Police, the Tizard Centre at Canterbury, mcch and icom.

This project, funded by the Big Lottery Fund Research Programme, aims to find out:

• How many people are victims of harassment and hate crime when they are out and about in the community?
• What types of victimisation do people experience or fear?
• What are the characteristics of people who report victimisation?
• What effect victimisation has on people’s quality of life and wellbeing.
• How people report victimisation and what response they get.

The project will be led by autism london in partnership with mcch, the Tizard Centre at the University of Kent and Kent Police.

Robert Marno and Kathy Johnson spoke at the launch about the importance this project and its potential affects on people with learning disabilities and autism. Chief Superintendent Steve Corbishley spoke about the important partnerships forged as a result of this project and the impact its results will have on a national, european and even worldwide scale. Steve is als the Chair of the Medway Community Safety Partnership.

Artwork displayed at the launch will be up at the Medway Police station for a week and features masks designed and made by people with learning disabilities and autism.

Research focus

Focus groups will ask people with disabilities and their carers living in Medway about their experiences and opinions of victimisation and how they respond. This will include asking the police what they find difficult when they receive reports relating to victimisation and people from black and ethnic minority groups who have disabilities as they are especially at risk.

The findings from the focus groups will be used to design survey questionnaires and people with learning disabilities and autism will be invited to take part in the survey, (people from outside Medway will be able to take part). Data will also be collected through the autism london helpline and from reports made directly to the police.

How we will use the research

The findings from the survey will be given to police forces and community safety organisations across the UK to ensure better reporting methods are put in place and effective planning around the reporting of victimisation.

All information received will be kept strictly confidential and people who agree to take part in the research will not have their names or other personal information stored on any records. 

Background on hate crimes

Crimes against people with learning disabilities and autism seem to be in the news more often; some of the crimes have been horrific.

The Department of Health has acknowledged that hate crime against people with learning disabilities is currently a major issue and a group from Parliament described crimes against people with learning disabilities as a ‘hidden
problem’.

The British Crime Survey does not gather information on whether participants have learning disabilities or autism and most local authorities, police forces and community safety partnerships don’t know how many people with learning disabilities or autism are victimised. 

Further information

If you would like to speak to the Project Manager, contact Colin Guest via email at c.guest@mcch.co.uk or by calling 0207 704 1928 or via post: autism london, 8/9 Rose Cottage, Aberdeen Centre, 22/24 Highbury Grove, London N5 2EA.