DISABLED people met with police as part of their new campaign targeting disability hate crime.

Members of People First, working in partnership with the likes of Cumbria Constabulary and the Crown Prosecution Service, were invited to a  seminar  at Barrow police station designed to build the confidence and respect of potential victims of disability hate crime. 

Those who attended were told the ways that they can report hate crime, as well as being able to learn about how the courts work in the event of a trial. 

The county's police and crime commissioner, Richard Rhodes, said: "There are many people out there who have been the subject of verbal or physical harassment just because they have a disability. 

"This is all about trying to give victims and potential victims that confidence to trust in the police to help them and to understand how the processes for the police and the court work to keep them reassured and make them feel comfortable."

There are some who believe that hate crime around the UK goes largely unreported. 

Between 2013 and 2014, there were 1,552 recorded incidents of hate crime in the North West  but  only 89 of these came from Cumbria.  

Stacey Davis, from the CPS, said: "It is a countrywide issue of under-reporting hate crime. We want people to know that they have constant support not just when reporting a potential crime, but also after the event. 

"Targeting someone for having a disability is targeting somebody for who they are. Nobody has a right to live in fear."

This was the third event of it's type in Cumbria, with two previous seminars in Carlisle and Workington. Guests spent the day getting a tour of the new Barrow police station and the custody section and took part in a mock trial at Barrow Magistrates Court. 

The Diverse Communities Engagement Officer, PC Julie Dodd, is one of the officers heading the programme. She said: "This is about taking the next step. 

"Events like this increase the awareness that the police are here to help and support everyone. 

We just need to keep educating people and keep asking to make sure these crimes don't go unnoticed."

If you or someone you know has been a victim of hate crime, you can contact the police on 101 or 999 in the case of an emergency. 

Hate crime can also be reported online at www.cumbria.police.uk