Hate crime prosecutions to be fast-tracked after antisemitic attacks

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Hate crime prosecutions are to be fast-tracked following a spate of recent antisemitic incidents, the head of the Crown Prosecution Service has said.

Director of public prosecutions Stephen Parkinson has told prosecutors in England and Wales to bring charges more quickly, in order to clamp down on "daily incidents affecting the Jewish community, involving threats and abuse designed to cause fear and distress".

He told BBC News it "is important law enforcement steps up and recognises we are in a period of crisis for the Jewish community".

The intervention comes after two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green, and a number of arson incidents in areas with large Jewish communities.

Parkinson stressed the new guidance applies to all hate crimes, but that it had been necessary to announce now due to the "very significant spike" in antisemitic incidents.

He pointed to the success of swift arrests and prosecutions in bringing to an end riots which broke out nationally in the wake of the Southport attack in 2024.

"We're acting quickly in order to build confidence, but also to bring crime to a halt," the chief prosecutor continued.

"In the Southport riots two years ago, when the police, prosecutors and the courts worked together and worked swiftly, the riots came to an end.

"The action I'm taking won't be the whole solution, I'm afraid, to antisemitism - but it would be part of the solution to show that law enforcement is taking this seriously and we're acting on the front foot."

Parkinson said he had urged prosecutors to make a charging decision as soon as they have seen the "core evidence" in order to speed up the process, rather than delaying to "present a perfect case".

He continued: "If we can strengthen the case thereafter, we can do so - but it's important that the Jewish community sees and has confidence we will take action."

In the last year there were 137,550 suspected hate crime incidents in total recorded by police forces in England and Wales, but less than a tenth result in criminal charges being issued.

Asked why only a small percentage of cases make it to court, Parkinson said one of the reasons was "victim attrition" - when someone impacted by crime decides not to engage with the justice process, often out of a lack of faith it will lead to a conviction.

He continued: "Reports are made but victims are just not prepared to stay with the process for reasons that are entirely understandable, including the delays that they experience in the justice system."

Parkinson also said police needed to gather evidence more quickly to "get the whole process energised".

He warned there is evidence that high-profile antisemitic incidents lead to a rise in related offences against Jewish people, adding: "I've had reported to me today an increase in instances over the last weekend, and that seems to be the pattern.

"We're starting to record specifically crimes of antisemitism, and indeed against the Muslim community, so we can chart specifically the impact on different communities."