- 30/06/2016
- Posted by: Valerie Vaz MP
- Category: Press Releases
On Wednesday 29 June 2016, Valerie Vaz MP raised the attack on Kashmir Meat & Poultry Pleck in the House of Commons.
Valerie Vaz MP said:
“I was shocked to hear that a shop in my constituency was attacked with an incendiary device. It is alarming that hate crimes haven risen 57% nationally, following the result of the EU referendum. This dangerous surge cannot be tolerated.”
“I called on the Minister, Karen Brady MP, to confirm how much extra funding will be available for local police forces so that they can investigate and tackle such crimes? The Minister said that we can come back to funding when the hate crime action plan has been published.”
“I welcome the news that a ‘new action plan’ has been launched to drive hate crime out of the UK. But, I am concerned that the Home Office is not reacting quickly enough in this difficult period, and is not providing local police forces with the necessary financial support to tackle the spike in xenophobic and racially motivated crimes. This is particularly concerning given that £126 million has been cut from the West Midlands police budget over the past five years.”
“Hate crime is generally underreported nationally. The increase in victims coming forward shows that people are fearful for their safety.”
“In this period of uncertainty, it is vital that people feel protected by their local police forces.”