Hartlepool councillor who reported being victim of hate crime calls for update from Cleveland Police on improvements

Cllr Christopher Akers-Belcher made the calls after councillors on Hartlepool Borough Council Finance and Policy Committee looked at the proposed Community Safety Plan for 2020-21 at their meeting on September 21.

Cleveland Police was last year rated inadequate overall and in three key areas by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS).

It became the first force to be branded ‘failing’ in all areas by inspectors.

Cllr Akers-Belcher noted given the resources put in to working alongside Cleveland Police, councillors should receive an update on improvements made by the force since the inspection report.

He added the calls come after he himself was subject to a hate crime last week, which he reported to Cleveland Police.

He said: “We’ve invested a huge amount of money working collaboratively with Cleveland Police, but obviously we’ve never had an update from what has happened since Her Majesty’s Inspectorate designated Cleveland Police as the worst police force in the country.

“I just think we need to have a look in a little bit more detail at all the parameters that were set against Cleveland Police, why they were designated to be the worst, and what they’ve actually done about it.

“We can work with them as much as possible around sharing intelligence but if they’re not improving then what is the point in us investing that amount of money.”

Cllr Akers-Belcher noted his own recent experience with Cleveland Police was one of the reasons behind him asking for an update.

He said: “One of my reasons for saying that is I was subject to yet another hate crime over the last week.

“We’ve always through audit and governance put a huge amount of work in tackling hate crime, and it was only when it was raised directly with the Chief Constable that they decided that it was a priority.”

A public consultation is now underway on the draft plan, and Cllr Akers-Belcher said once this is complete Cleveland Police should give an update to councillors on what has been done to improve since last year’s inspection report.

Denise McGuckin, council managing director, noted there would be a Cleveland Police stakeholder event later this week where an update would be given regarding improvements made.

She added it would therefore be ‘timely’ for an update to be provided to councillors also and was happy to speak to Cleveland Police about the matter.

Cleveland Police chiefs confirmed stakeholders are being updated later this week and a more general update will follow the meeting.

Last year Chief Constable Richard Lewis, who had been in his post for five months at the time of the HMICFRS report being released, said it would act “as a line in the sand” for the force.

Speaking at the time, he added improvements had already been made and he would take full responsibility for driving through the changes that were ‘so obviously needed’.

Cllr Jim Lindridge supported the comments made by Cllr Akers-Belcher at the committee meeting and backed the review.

He said: “I would endorse everything that Cllr Christoper Akers-Belcher has said, he’s correct in all those points and I welcome this early review.

“I’m saddened if you’ve [Cllr Akers-Belcher] had a hate crime attack on you and I hope you’re managing that situation.”

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