Source · Select Committees · Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Recommendation 6
6
Accepted in Part
Paragraph: 39
Inadequate reported data hinders tackling discrimination and antisocial behaviour at sporting events.
Conclusion
We have repeatedly heard of the discrimination, anti-social behaviour and hate crime that occur at sporting events, particularly football. However, the lack of reported data on this topic makes it difficult to assess the scale of the problem, and for police and sporting bodies to tackle issues where they arise and assess the effectiveness of policing strategies deployed. Until this changes, the safety and welfare of fans, players and staff continues to be a largely unknown risk.
Government Response Summary
The government recognised the importance of data collection and outlined existing systems like True Vision for reporting hate crime. It also mentioned a developing digital portal for reporting anti-social behaviour and recent efforts to address online abuse, partially addressing the concern about a lack of reported data.
Paragraph Reference:
39
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
We recognise the importance of collecting and analysing data on safety incidents at sporting events to inform effective interventions. A subgroup of the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) Safety Committee met to discuss these issues in 2023 and a Working Group was established which met for the second time in January 2024. Notably, the government already funds a centralised online system for users to report hate crime to the police, called True Vision. This online hate crime reporting portal is maintained by the police and funded by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. It is designed so that victims of hate crime do not have to visit a police station in person to make a report. Reports can be made about hate crimes that occur at sporting events. The government also funds the National Online Hate Crime Hub, which is a central capability designed to support individual local police forces in dealing with online hate crime. This may include online hate crimes that are linked to sporting events. The Hub provides expert advice to police forces to support them in investigating these abhorrent offences. The government takes tackling anti-social behaviour seriously and encourages all forms to be reported. Existing reporting tools, such as police.uk, allow the public to report anti-social behaviour incidents at sporting events to the police. The government is developing a digital one-stop-shop portal that will allow the public to report anti-social behaviour to the right local responders wherever it may take place. Ahead of the UEFA Women’s European Championships, the then Minister for Sport wrote to media companies to outline the importance of monitoring misogynistic and discriminatory language against players during the tournament. This sat alongside a strategy implemented by The Football Association (The FA) and the UKFPU which enabled this type of behaviour to be swiftly reported. In January, the Minister for Sport, Gambling and Civil Society wrote to X and Meta on the topic of recent abuse towards women in sport. Both have now responded, setting out the action they are taking including enforcement, reporting processes and safety settings. We will also be writing on this issue to the CMS Select Committee Inquiry into Women’s Sport.