21 October 2013 PCC pledges support to Stand by Me campaign Tim Passmore, has taken Mencap’s ‘PCC pledge’ and committed to ending learning disability hate crime. In 2011 Mencap launched the ‘Stand by me’ campaign to end disability hate crime in a generation, and their calls on newly-elected PCCs to take the PCC pledge follows their work getting police services to sign up to a police promise that will help make sure people with a learning disability can live their lives free from the fear of hate crime. Tim Passmore, Police and Crime Commissioner for Suffolk “I pledged to support the ‘Stand by me’ campaign when I was elected nearly a year ago and I will continue to support Mencap in this campaign to end hate crime and I encourage others to do the same. “It is a terrible reflection on our society that people with learning disabilities are often more likely to be a victim of hate crime. This is disgraceful and must stop. “We need to work together to tackle all forms of hate crime and make sure victims have the confidence to report any incidents of hate crime to the police. Dan Scorer, Mencap’s senior campaigns manager, said: “As many as 9 out of 10 people with a learning disability have experienced hate crime. This is disgraceful and must stop. Many police services are doing good work, and their response is getting better, but there is still a long way to go. That is why Mencap is calling on new PCCs to commit to standing by people with a learning disability to end hate crime. We are delighted that Tim Passmore has taken the PCC pledge and will be working with us to help end disability hate crime in a generation.” For more information on the ‘Stand by me’ campaign, and to show your support, visit www.mencap.org.uk/standbyme