POLICE in South Ayrshire have vowed to tackle ‘unacceptable’ hate crime as part of a new national campaign.

The new drive will focus on disability hate crime with the aim of improving the awareness, recognition and reporting of disability hate crime whilst highlighting local partners that can support victims.

Chief Inspector Brian Anderson, Area Commander for South Ayrshire said: “Research has shown that many people in Scotland have a long term health problem or disability whilst only a small percentage of reported hate crime relates to crimes against people with physical or learning disabilities”.

“This campaigns focus is on ensuring that people understand what hate crime is, particularly disability hate crime, to ensure that incidents do not go unreported and people feel confident in reporting them”.

“Hate crime is unacceptable in Ayrshire and we will do everything we can to prevent it and detect offenders whilst keeping victims safe and ensuring they are supported”.

“Over the course of this campaign officers will be raising awareness at events across Ayrshire and online”.

You can report a Hate Crime by phoning 999 (emergency), 101 (non-emergency), at any police station, through a third party reporting centre or by completing a form online.