Pledge progress on safety for women and girls as misogyny recorded

Another milestone has been reached in realising the Mayor’s pledge to place the safety of women and girls at the heart of her policing and crime plan.

1st December 2021

Another milestone has been reached in realising the Mayor’s pledge to place the safety of women and girls at the heart of her policing and crime plan.

From today (01/12), West Yorkshire Police is joining a number of other forces across the country, in recording instances of misogyny.

It means when victims feel they have been targeted and are asked by police, in relation to all of the protected characteristics covered by Hate Crime legislation, they will also be asked if they feel it was motivated by their sex.

If the victim confirms this is the case, it will be recorded.

The Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, welcomed the move, which comes at the same time as a ‘priority’ is created within the new Police and Crime Plan around diversity, equality, and inclusion.

“I said I would honour my promise to women and girls when it came to their safety, and I am delighted that West Yorkshire has now reached this important milestone.

“It may not currently be a crime and I know this is being reviewed by the Law Commission, but this is a significant step forward.

“No-one should be victimised for who they are and those who seek to discriminate in this way, should realise that they are potentially committing a hate crime.

“Over the years, misogynistic comments in particular, have been normalised in society, often providing a platform for more serious offences.

“I also welcome the recording of misandry alongside misogyny, recognising that 750k men were subject to domestic abuse in the last year.

“This erosion of people’s safety cannot be allowed to continue, and we must confront it in all its forms.

“I am really glad that our conversations with the Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police have now led to this new approach.”

The West Yorkshire Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Alison Lowe, said that a partnership approach with the Mayor’s Office and West Yorkshire Police had enabled the latest development to hate crime recording to happen.

“I want to thank West Yorkshire Police for working so positively with the Mayor to make her pledge a reality.

“Tracy and I were determined to get misogyny recognised and recorded as a hate crime and have made representations nationally to the government.

“As I said during our recent Hate Crime Awareness Week, more needs to be done and is being done, as this encouraging development shows.

“Inclusivity, diversity and equality, these are principles I live by, I carry them with me in everything I do, and I know Tracy is the same.

“We are all equal, we should all have the same opportunities and rights, and the right not to be treated differently because of who you are.

“This was and is a crucial step in the right direction in making those principles a reality for everyone living and working in West Yorkshire.”

T/Assistant Chief Constable Damien Miller, of West Yorkshire Police, said:

"No one should ever be victimised because of their gender, and now we have started to record Misogyny and misandry incidents and at the point of contact with the victim we will be asking them whether they feel what happened to them was motivated by hostility of their gender.

“We feel this is positive step in the right direction in identifying and investigating these types of incidents and ensuring that victims voices are heard, and their cases are investigated with the full picture to hand.

“We are training our staff in the Customer Contact Centre and officers to ensure they understand how to identify and accurately flag incidents of misogyny and misandry and we hope this will bring reassurance to those who report crimes of this nature that West Yorkshire Police does not stand for this type of behaviour.”