A campaign to tackle hate crime on public transport was launched by The City of Edinburgh Council along with Police Scotland and its various transport partners at Haymarket railway station.
Humza Yousaf, Scottish Transport Minister and City of Edinburgh Council Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Lesley Macinnes were both at the launch with representatives of the city’s transport partners who all pledged their support.
Councillor Lesley Macinnes said: “Edinburgh is a diverse and thriving city that does not tolerate any form of hate crime. The city is a safe place to live, work in and visit but sadly there is a small minority who behave in an unacceptable manner.This charter – a first in Scotland – is a fantastic step forward.”
Superintendent Richard Horan of Police Scotland said: “Tackling hate crime in all its forms is one of our top priorities here in Edinburgh and on a daily basis, local officers are engaging with various members of our diverse communities to offer reassurance and to gather information on any offences which have taken place.”
The “Charter for Public Transport” aims to provide travel which is “hate free”. Members of the Equality Transport Advisory Group (ETAG) hope that victims and witnesses will now have more confidence to report incidents of hate on public transport.
Transport Minister Humza Yousaf said: “The support given to Edinburgh’s Community Safety Partnership Transport Charter is encouraging and clearly shows the commitment towards responsible behaviour and passenger safety.
There is absolutely no excuse for hate crime or prejudice towards people working or travelling on our transport network and I am extremely grateful for the work of the City of Edinburgh Council and Partners in developing and implementing the charter.
“The Scottish Government is committed to tackling hate crime wherever it happens, whenever it happens and whoever it happens to, and I am pleased that we are currently working on the introduction of a national charter based on this very model.”
Managing Director at Edinburgh Trams Lea Harrison spoke of the importance of tackling hate crime on public transport, saying : “Work such as this is hugely important, to help maintain relatively low levels of hate crime on our services.”
Today marks the beginning of two days of action which will take place at Waverley Station, on Edinburgh Trams and First Scotland East buses across the city. Commuters on trams between 10am and 3pm on Thursday 29 June may be surveyed on their experience to help the Edinburgh Community Safety Partnership analyse the impact of the pledge.
As part of the campaign, there will also be road shows at Waverley railway station which will take place on Friday 30 June between 2pm and 5pm as well as representatives out on the streets giving advice to people about hate crime and how to report it.
