Men aged 18-30 are most likely to commit hate crime: FOI release

Information requested

Related to the recent Hate Crime Act I would be grateful if you could provide the following information please. I am content to receive in electronic format.

1. Police Scotland has claimed that young men aged 18-30 are most likely to commit hate crime. Can you advise what specific initiatives or funding have been provided to tackle the root issue foryoung white men aged 18-30?
2. Police Scotland has claimed that offenders may be socially or economically advantaged. Can you advise what specific support, initiatives or funding has been provided to this societal group i.e. young white men aged 18-30 over the last year?
3. Can the Government advise what specific education or awareness is being provided to this societal group i.e. young white men aged 18-30, especially those impacted by deprivation, abuse or unemployment?

Response

I enclose a copy of some of the information you requested.

I have carried out a search for any relevant initiatives, support and funding provided by the Scottish Government, and consulted with policy leads across the organisation. There is only very limited information about initiatives held by the Scottish Government, as hate crime initiatives are either aimed at groups sharing the characteristics protected in legislation or the wider population. In terms of the FOI legislation, this is a formal response under Section 17 that the Scottish Government does not have some of the information that you requested, but the following related programme information may be helpful to you. There are also a number of initiatives supporting crime prevention, such as Cashback for Communities, funded through the proceeds of crime act but these are again not specifically targeted at the group you asked about.

The Mentors in Violence protection (MVP) programme, facilitated in schools and local authorities across Scotland, takes an early intervention and awareness raising approach to issues such as extreme misogyny, stereotyping, consent and gender-based violence:
Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) - An overview | Resources | Education Scotland

During Autumn and Winter last year, the Scottish Government ran the Mind to Mind campaign for mental health which was targeted at those aged 18 - 44 with a focus on men, although that is not an exact match with the group you were asking about.

The Scottish Government coordinates and supports delivery by devolved sectors in Scotland of the Prevent strand of the reserved UKG CONTEST strategy. The vast majority of referrals to Prevent in 2022-2023 were for males (80; 92%), and the largest proportion of referrals was for individuals aged 15-20, based on their age at time of referral (31; 36%). Some background on Prevent and details of Prevent referrals in Scotland in recent years can be found here: Prevent Referral Data - Police Scotland

While the threshold for a referral to be adopted into the Prevent programme is linked specifically to an individual’s susceptibility to being drawn into terrorism rather than hate crime alone, there could potentially be a degree of crossover between involvement in both within a radicalisation process.

There are a number of anti-poverty initiatives which are a mission of the Scottish Government but these are not targeted at specific groups, so are outwith the scope of your request. Details can be found on the Scottish Government website at www.gov.scot.

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