Response to EHRC report: Promoting the safety and security of disabled people

Wednesday 29 April 2009

Mark Goldring, chief executive of the UK's leading learning disability charity, Mencap, comments: 

"The number of abhorrent acts of violence against people with a learning disability is shocking. This report reveals the true extent of disability hate crime in the UK.

"The Crown Prosecution Service and the police must work with disabled groups to improve the reporting of disability hate crime, and ensure perpetrators of crime against disabled people do not walk free. The government and all parts of the criminal justice system must take responsibility.

"We urge the Government to investigate the scale of hate crime against people with a learning disability - who are at the greatest risk of disability targeted violence and hate crime. Immediate action must be taken to tackle the problem."

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Contact:  Stacey Kerr, Mencap press office, 020 7696 6950, stacey.kerr@mencap.org.uk

Notes to Editors

"Mencap's research shows that people with a learning disability are living in fear.  Nine out of 10 people with a learning disability face harassment, with many experiencing it on a regular basis. This should not be happening in a so-called civilised society."