“People in the UK will have a new way to report hate crime
that takes place on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook under
new plans unveiled by home secretary Amber Rudd in the government’s latest
efforts to tackle illegal activities which take place online.
A new “national online
hate crime hub” will be set up with dedicated police officers tackling
online abuse in a bid to increase prosecutions.
Cases will go through this
single hub, making it easier to investigate when, for instance, the victim and
alleged perpetrator are in different locations overseen by different police
forces.
Rudd said such crimes
“should me met with the full force of the law”.
“The national online hate
crime hub that we are funding is an important step to ensure more victims have
the confidence to come forward and report the vile abuse to which they are
being subjected,” she said.
“The hub will also improve
our understanding of the scale and nature of this despicable form of abuse.
With the police, we will use this new intelligence to adapt our response so
that even more victims are safeguarded and perpetrators punished.”
The system is expected to be
set up by the end of the year. A cost for the scheme has not been given.
