Sir Leigh Lewis, a former Permanent Secretary at the Department for Work and Pensions, has been appointed to Hertfordshire's Hate Crime Partnership Board as its new independent chair.

Amongst his current roles, Sir Leigh is the vice chair of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, honorary vice-president of the homelessness charity, St Mungo's, and patron of Watford Workshop, a workshop for people with disabilities in Watford.

A long-time resident of Hertfordshire, Sir Leigh said: "I am delighted to have been invited to chair the Hertfordshire Hate Crime Partnership Board and am greatly looking forward to working with colleagues from across the county's public and third sector partners to progress the very good work which the board already undertakes. Hate crime in all its forms is insidious and leaves deep scars on those who are the victims of it. I want to try to ensure that everything possible is done to prevent such crimes from occurring and to tackle those which do occur."

The partnership board, which meets eight times a year, is made up of representatives from public sector and voluntary organisations, including Hertfordshire County Council, the Office for the Police and Crime Commissioner, Hertfordshire Constabulary, Beacon and independent organisations, like GATE (Gypsy and Traveller Empowerment). Sir Leigh will chair his first meeting on Wednesday 11 June.

Jonathan Ash-Edwards, Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner, said: "I would like to welcome Sir Leigh as independent chair of the Hertfordshire Hate Crime Partnership Board. He has a wealth of relevant experience and is keen to build relationships with communities.

"People in Hertfordshire have the right to live their lives without hatred. The effect of hate crime on communities can be significant, which is why it is taken seriously by the police and partner agencies."

From October 2022 until February 2024, Sherry Peck was the board's independent co-chair. Since then, meetings have been chaired by a representative from the PCC's office.

Hate crimes include assaults, threats or acts of vandalism, or any other crime committed against someone because of their:

• Disability
• Race or ethnicity
• Religion or belief
• Transgender identity
• Sexual orientation.

Hertfordshire Constabulary has specialist hate crime officers to tackle and challenge these incidents, educate people and support those who have been affected.

Chief Inspector Dave Cooke, who now leads on hate crime for Hertfordshire Constabulary, added: "Having recently taken on responsibility for tackling hate crime as part of my role, I am looking forward to working with Sir Leigh and the board in the coming months. We know that hate crime is under-reported across the country and will be working closely with Hertfordshire's community organisations to encourage victims and witnesses to report incidents to police."

💻 You can report hate crime online at herts.police.uk/report 

🗣 Speak to an operator in our Force Communications Room via our online web chat at herts.police.uk/contact 

📞 Call the non-emergency number 101. In an emergency dial 999.

💻 Or you can report hate crime online at report-it.org.uk

↪️ Find out how to report hate crime: hertsagainsthate.org