Police praise Portsmouth pupils' anti-hate crime campaign

Pupils at The Portsmouth Academy were victorious in the city-wide competition to highlight hate crime.

Run by police as part of National Hate Crime Awareness Week, the contest saw children pitch their ideas for promoting diversity and fighting crime, to a panel of senior police officers and university professors in Portsmouth.

The youngster’s bid involved creating eight films focusing on different strands of diversity, including gender, race, and disability, to be shared on social media.

The films were then posted on social media as part of the school’s awareness drive, with some even featuring on the big screens at Fratton Park.

Kate Millard, assistant principal at the school, said: ‘We are so proud that the students’ creative contribution to this competition earned them first place – huge congratulations to them for furthering a vital cause in such an inspired way.

‘Our school prides itself on offering an environment where diversity and tolerance are key values, and it has been brilliant to see students’ passion for the wider Respecting Differences campaign and for supporting their community.’

Incidents of hate crime have risen in the UK since 2016.

A hate crime is a crime against an individual or group of people based on their identity. Victims can be targeted for a disability, their race, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation.