Cambridgeshire Constabulary has noted that 1,650 hate incidents were reported within Cambridgeshire between 1st December 2019 and 28th February 2021 and the vast majority of reported incidents (1,344) were racially-based. The data indicates that since the pandemic (March 2020), incidents of Hate crime have increased for people with the following protected characteristics: disabled
people, LGBTQ+ people, race, religion. These groups are already disproportionately adversely impacted by COVID-19 and tackling hate crime will accelerate a more inclusive recovery from COVID-19.

There is currently no Out of Court rehabilitative provision for perpetrators of Hate Crime in Cambridgeshire. Research shows that is unlikely that simple punitive measures (such as a financial penalty) will deter or prevent further incidents, as it does not address the perpetrators underlying discriminatory attitudes, motivations or perspectives (Chakraborti and Garland, 2015). Cambridgeshire County Council are keen to explore how Behavioural Insights work could be delivered to perpetrators in order to change their thinking and behaviour and prevent recidivism. Within this context, our fact finding concentrated on key areas which are vital to ensuring a service design that is fit for purpose, i.e. that the right individuals are targeted with the right intervention:
• Target Cohort
• Behavioural Insights
• Intervention Design