A Greater Manchester Police officer has been shortlisted for a high profile national award this month.
PC David Willetts has been nominated for the ‘Supporting Victims, Reporting Hate Crimes’ category of the No2H8 Crime awards 2018 in recognition for his work within the City of Manchester borough.
Winners will be announced at a celebratory gala dinner in central London on Thursday 13th September.
The awards recognise the important work that people do in communities up and down the country to stand against hatred, intolerance and prejudice.
PC Willetts has been a driving force behind supporting victims of hate crime and ensuring that hate crimes are reported in Manchester.
Policy makers, senior officials, hate crime agencies and community members will all be in attendance at the gala dinner.
PC Willetts said: “I’m very pleased to be shortlisted for the award and I’m looking forward to attending the event.
“The nomination is in recognition of the work which is being done within the City of Manchester to ensure hate crimes are reported and victims are supported.”
Every year hate crime brings misery to thousands of victims and it can be a frightening experience because they have been targeted because of who they are.
Attacks are often very personal and specifically targeted, which means it’s less likely to be a random attack.
NO2H8 crime awards are a coalition of organisations that work on tackling hatred, intolerance and prejudice including the Community Security Trust, GALOP, Stonewall and the ‘No to Hate Crime’ campaign.
The awards recognise many individuals within communities who work tirelessly to ensure that the dignity of individuals is protected and ensure that everyone in our country should be able to live their lives free from fear.
This year’s awards theme is ‘Upstanders and Not Bystanders‘ which reflects the need to challenge hatred, intolerance and bigotry safely.
Lisa Wadham, No2H8 Crime Awards 2018, added: “We are delighted to confirm that David Willetts has been shortlisted for the Supporting Victims, Reporting Hate Crimes Award at this year’s awards.
“The event promises to be a fantastic evening which will celebrate the important work of ‘Upstanders’ in our society.”
Keep up-to-date with the awards on Twitter at @No2H8CRIME AWARDS or via the hashtag #No2H8 Crime Awards.