Stephen Lawrence Day marked in Welwyn Garden City

Stephen was standing with a friend at a bus stop in Eltham, South East London when five white youths, who were complete strangers, approached both of them shouting racist comments.  The white youths stabbed Stephen twice and he bled to death in the street, aged only 18. 

Stephen was stabbed and killed purely because of the colour of his skin.  Following his death, his family and supporters have successfully campaigned for changes to the law so that hate crimes for specific protected characteristics have been introduced. 

PC Redman, who was also joined by colleagues from Hertfordshire Police, Hertfordshire Fire Service and officers from WHBC said:

Today’s event was an opportunity to honour Stephen’s life and reaffirm our commitment to tackling hate crime and supporting the Black community. We take reports of hate crime very seriously and this is why we have dedicated officers like me who are on hand to provide specialist support to victims. We hope that victims will report hate crimes to police however we understand that some may not feel comfortable doing this. Instead, we encourage you to use the council’s third party reporting centre and they will make the report on your behalf.

To report a hate crime to WHBC, you can come to our office in Welwyn Garden City during opening hours and ask to speak to a Hate Crime Champion. Hate crimes can also be reported to police via the non-emergency number 101. In an emergency, where there is an immediate threat to life or property, always dial 999.  Or if you do not feel comfortable talking directly to the somebody, you can report a hate crime online.

Black residents are invited to join Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Race and Inclusion Board. The forum gives residents the chance to scrutinise the constabulary’s work and provide guidance and feedback on Race issues. Find out more information by visiting the ‘Race and Inclusion’ page at www.herts.police.uk