Northamptonshire Police recorded 1058 hate crimes and incidents in 2013. A small specialist unit in the force of six officers supports the resolution of these events by being there for victims and helping put together cases to bring perpetrators to justice. Victims experience of hate crime is very different from other kinds of crime as it is an attack on who they are - their very being , their very existence. Police officers on the ground need the support of specialists to make sure that the right decisons are made to challenge racism, homophobia, transphobia, religious hatred and attacks on disabled people. If you think this is important too please sign the petition. Cutting this small specialist team will have little impact on many millions of pound of savings that the force have to save but will make a very big difference to hate crime victims.