The Nottingham Together More In Common Partnership is part of the ever-growing More in Common Network, dedicated to Jo Cox’s message of unity. Nottingham Together has hosted a series of More in Common Community Dialogues since 2023.
Chief Inspector Karl Thomas, oversees neighbourhood policing in Nottingham’s city centre. He was one of 30 people who took part in a Common Room community dialogue workshop on Hate crime: the impact on communities, and how to respond, held at the Justice Museum in Nottingham in May 2024.
Karl said:
It was brilliant to have this workshop held in Nottingham city centre. Listening to the speakers talk about their own experiences of hate, and hearing our colleagues talk about the role we can all play in tackling it, was really useful for us in understanding how we can help, as a public service in the county, to increase reporting and reduce this type of crime.
Michael Henry and Shamsher Chohan from Communities Inc facilitated the Common Room workshop which was organised by The Jo Cox Foundation in partnership with Communities Inc, supported by the Renewal Trust.
The aims of the session were to:
- understand what increases tensions in communities,
- learn what helps prevent hate crime,
- share our local knowledge of hate crime,
- explore what is working well and what can be improved as a response to hate,
- develop ideas for simple things we can do to reduce prejudice and tackle hate crime together.
Nottinghamshire Police gave a presentation on hate crime stats and procedures.
We were invited to have community dialogue on four questions.
- What’s happening on the streets?
- Who’s being targeted?
- What’s working well?
- What can be improved?
The discussions identified concerns over some lack of safety for Black people, women, people from LGBT communities and people with learning disabilities in particular. Many communities do not report hate crime due to lack of confidence anything will be done and a reporting system too difficult to bother with. People shared ideas for how to pick up incidents earlier and how to raise awareness of hate crime.
Schools were identified as communities with hate crime incidents and where staff can lack the confidence and knowledge to deal with hate effectively.
There was an acknowledgement that communication with the Police needs to improve. The new Black Community Advisory Group within the Police was seen as a positive move.
People expressed the view that charities, community groups and other Third Sector organisations are essential in quelling tensions and supporting victims. The Nottingham Together More In Common Partnership was seen to be working well, and people who were not already members have now joined the Partnership.
How does hate crime come about?
Shamsher from Communities Inc gave a short presentation on the Hate Crime Pyramid showing how bias leads to prejudice which is what hate crime stems from. She then explained the important role of bystanders/ witnesses as allies for people experiencing hate crime.
What did people get from the Common Room?
One participant commented afterwards:
I made connections with some partners I had worked with previously and also established some newer connections. In light of the recent national disorder, it is even more important that these partnerships continue to work together and reach out to the community.
Briony Pietryka, Inclusion and Community Engagement Manager, from the Crown Prosecution Service said that she and other participants across the criminal justice system, voluntary and private sectors were able to share local knowledge of hate crime and develop ideas in relation to working together to build community cohesion and agree practical solutions and actions.
What did we learn?
- Round table community dialogues unearth local knowledge. This added to and sometimes challenged the picture presented by Police data. It raised questions for the Police and also enabled people to see where they could support each other through shared action.
- We have a better understanding of the way that hate crime emerges from prejudice and bias that is unchallenged.
- An in-person Common Room event connected people, increased their knowledge, strengthened collaboration and boosted membership of the local More In Common Partnership. .
The Common Room session was unexpectedly timely, as within 3 months of the event, a series of violent protests took place around the country including in Nottingham. This involved people who were expressing hate, alongside concerns about their communities such as poverty, violence against women and lack of resources.
It reinforced our learning and the need for more opportunities to have conversations about building trust and bridging divides in communities.
Check out these resources from Communities Inc
- Short video of the Common Room workshop on Hate Crime
- Myth Buster- Asylum Seekers and Refugees
- Four Tips for Allies – postcard
Further training including Stand by Me programme to build your knowledge, skills and confidence to be an effective ally to people experiencing hate crime.
Join the Nottingham Together More In Common Partnership
You can find out more about the Nottingham Together More In Common Partnership, including how to join it, on the Nottingham CVS website.
What’s next?
In 2025 we are holding series 5 of the Common Room programme in Cardiff, Nottingham and Stoke on Trent, and one online, between March and June, working with Communities Inc for one of those. These events will be by invite only, to keep the spaces safe and focussed. However we are always keen to speak with potential collaborators, so if you would like more information or to arrange a chat please email [email protected]
We are planning our More In Common In Action conference in Manchester in May, an opportunity for More In Common Groups and Partnerships and interested individuals to share learning and ideas for action. Please sign up to the More In Common Newsletter at the bottom of this page if you would like to know what’s coming up.