Achi news desk-
He also denied that the deluge of reports the service received during the past week had an impact on frontline policing.
Ms Constance also said that those who were the subject of a vexatious complaint should have “faith in Police Scotland to investigate all matters without fear”.
READ MORE: Jack McConnell: SNP hate crime law ‘impractical’
His comments came after David Threadgold of the Scottish Police Federation warned about the impact of the legislation on the force.
He told STV: “The service has to take people in on their days off, up to 40 extra officers a day have to be provided to cope with this demand, because of what we want to do is to try to provide the best service. we can the public, so that Police Scotland has to deal with that demand by providing these extra resources.”
The veteran officer also warned that the huge amount of overtime required to process the thousands of complaints received will have an impact on the service’s budget.
Speaking to Scotland Tonight, Ms Constance said: “Well, in my involvement with Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Association [sic]I think we are all in for a busy few weeks in the early days of implementing this new legislation.
“It is important that I record that I continue to engage with Police Scotland who tell me that they are having to invest additional resources to manage an increased number of complaints but despite this, they continue to cope and that there are additional calls not having an impact on frontline communities.”
The minister said she had been told by the Deputy Chief Constable that the “service is indeed coping”.
Regarding the communication regarding the legislation, Ms Constance said: “It is early days in terms of the implementation of this new legislation. You know, I’ve been around Parliament long enough to recognize that, you know, sometimes we need to do a bit more, work a bit harder to convey what any particular piece of legislation is about, or more important , what it is not about. about.”
Ms Constance was questioned about the Hate Monster campaign by Police Scotland.
The year-old marketing campaign on the police website emerged last month before the new hate crime law came into force.
The text accompanying the video of the red-orange cartoon character was banned for claiming that young men aged 18-30 from socially excluded communities were most likely to commit hate crimes.
Critics of the new law have since adopted the creature, with protesters crafting a Hate Monster costume.
Ms Contance said: “Public information campaigns can be fraught with difficulty, sometimes, you know, they’re a huge success, and other times…”
He added: “It didn’t particularly appeal to me. But I would also like to highlight the excellent work that Police Scotland has done in terms of senior police officers, speaking directly to the camera, giving encouraging messages about what is and is not a hate crime hatred.”
Ms Constance said there had been a number of vexatious complaints.
He denied that new legislation made that easier.
“There is a very high threshold for criminality in this legislation. And we should all also remember – and this is an appeal to politicians and the public in general – the basic purpose of this legislation is to protect individuals, to protect communities that are exposed to the risk of hate crimes.”
Asked about the process and how it would reassure those who may be on the receiving end of a frustrating complaint, Ms Constance said: “I would say to people in this country that they should have faith in Police Scotland to investigate to all matters without fear. And without favor to any interested party.”
Dr Kath Murray from the Murray Blackburn Mackenzie policy group said that the minister did not seem to understand that many feared that the process of being investigated would be the punishment.
He said: “The Scottish Government has of late emphasized the high threshold for prosecution under the Act.
“But this does not address ongoing concerns about the impact of contact with the criminal justice system as part of an initial police investigation.
“The fact that the Minister suggests that people should have ‘faith’ in the process shows that he does not understand this point.
