A BOLTON councillor is speaking out to help people who have suffered through mental health discrimination

Horwich councillor Peter Wright wants to get people talking about mental health issues in order to help tackle hate crime.

The 50-year-old, who has been elected as a representative for the Bridge Ward, believes that while people with mental health issues are still targeted by 'bullies', many are too afraid to speak out.

He said: "People don't realise that laughing at or ridiculing someone for their mental health problems is a hate crime.

"Everyone gets nervous but I would encourage them to speak out. I witnessed a woman in town where lads were poking fun at her and shouting across the street, I felt intimidated even though you want to tell them to pack it in.

"I have had a lot of people come and talk to me who have been a victim of hate crime because of their mental health disability. I want people to know if they are reading this paper that if they are being poked fun at or being ridiculed, or see someone doing it then they should phone the police.

"I have been through the mental health system for many years from childhood to being an adult and because of that people have opened up to me about their own experiences. Most of them have suffered through hate crime.

"Lots of people are being discriminated against because they are different but that does not mean you are less of a person or human being."

Cllr Wrights aim is to now work in partnership with mental health charities to find those affected by hate crimes and help collate information on how many people are being affected by it in the borough.

The Be Safe Bolton Strategic Partnership Hate Crime Strategy for 2016 – 2018 has published the latest figures for hate crime within Greater Manchester and Bolton which shows a worrying rise in figures.

In the borough 394 hate crimes were recorded during 2014/2015, a six per cent increase from the previous year of 371.

It did note that there had been a recent increase in the reporting of disability motivated hate crime and homophobic or biphobic abuse, however, victims within both strands are still considered the least likely to report a hate crime or incident according to the findings of the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW).

In particular, disability hate crime had increased year on year from 10 recorded crimes in 2012/13 to 16 in 2014/15.

On a national level it is estimated that on average 222,000 hate crimes occur each year.

The report added: "The most commonly reported motivating factor for hate crime was race, with the second most common factor being sexual orientation, although the findings of the CSEW did show that there was an overall increase in reported hate crimes across all the monitored strands."

A recent conference involving the Greater Manchester Police (GMP), faith groups and the voluntary sector to discuss ways in which the police can improve its responses to and the way it handles sensitive mental health issues.

It stems from the devolution of health powers and budgets that gives Greater Manchester’s authorities the ability to create and commission its own services, tailored to the needs of local people.

Chief Inspector Andy Sidebotham, a former neighbourhood inspector in Bolton who is the force’s lead for mental health, said the plans were built on four pillars of prevention; access; integration, and sustainability.

In Bolton frontline offices are trained by Crisis Response and De-escalation Leaders in Emergency Services Training and there are also plans to have nurses within the control room to assist officers.

The strategy focuses on early intervention and connecting people to services which can best help them.

Eighty per cent of calls nationally to the police are not related to a crime but ‘vulnerability’ — such as a concern for someone’s welfare or a person missing from home.

In Greater Manchester four out of every 10 incidents involve someone with some sort of mental health issue.

In England and Wales, hate crimes are any crimes that are targeted because of hostility or prejudice in relation to disability, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or transgender identity and can be committed against a person or property.

According to the GMP, if a person is convicted of a criminal offence, and hostility in relation to any of the five categories is proven, then any sentence they receive will be increased to take in to account that it is a hate crime.

To report a hate crime call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 11.

You can also visit the True Vision hate crime reporting site for England and Wales at www.report-it.org.uk/home.