Chief Constable’s Commendation

Congratulations to Neelam Devesher DL, Chair of the Hate Crime Scrutiny Panel, who was awarded with a Chief Constable’s Commendation on Wednesday, 8th March.

Neelam, who has chaired the panel from its inception, has implemented many impactful changes through her leadership including; a better understanding for the Force on how to support victims of hate crime, a new Force Hate Crime Strategy that has direct community involvement and has been written with the community, the development of specific hate crime panels to allow people to question Surrey Police on how it operates when dealing with hate crime, and much more.

The panel meet every quarter, reviewing 10 hate crime cases and evaluating how the Force have dealt with the investigations. The cases are discussed highlighting the victims experience and where there could have been more support or action taken. Building good working relationships with hard to reach communities has been a key element and aim of the panel to ensure the voices of these communities are heard.

Performance figures show continuous improvement since Neelam’s direct input and implementation of the new Force strategy; the solved hate crime rate has increased by showing that a better service is being given to victims and victim satisfaction rates have likewise improved. Neelam’s passion for supporting communities and victims of hate crime cannot be overstated, she is vital to the continual improvement of Surrey Police in hate crime.

To ensure we continue to provide first-class support to all victims of hate crime, we ask that all officers to take some time to read through the advice that is available to you on Crewmate. When dealing with cases of hate crime it’s also important to remember to reach out to the Force’s Independent Advisory Groups[R11]  (IGA’s) who can offer invaluable advice and insight. To get in touch with the IGA’s please contact the Inclusion Team or the Out of Hours Control Room. PC Amanda Smith, dedicated hate crime officer, and Nolan Heather, Force lead for hate crime, also encourage those dealing with hate crime cases to get in contact if they have any questions or need any support and guidance.

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