Hate Crime
Have you been subjected to a hate crime or a hate incident?
If you have, our advisers can support you to report it.
We are a level one reporting centre for hate crime. Our staff can provide advice to those who have been subjected to a hate crime or hate incident and tell you where you can get more information and support.
What is a Hate Crime?
A Hate Crime is any criminal offence that is motivated by hostility and prejudice towards a person’s identity or perceived identity. The following are the five nationally monitored strands:
Disability
Race
Religion/Faith
Sexual Orientation
Transgender Identity
Anyone can be affected by Hate Crime. You don’t have to be a member of the group to which the hostility is targeted at. You don’t have to be gay to have had homophobic abuse shouted at you. You may not be part of a religion and still have someone target you because they think you are.
Some police forces also record hate incidents based on other personal characteristics such as age or alternative subculture. Alternative subcultures include Goths, Emos, Punks, and other similar groups.
Difference between Hate Crime and Hate Incidents
A Hate incident is any incident that the person affected or anyone else believes is based on a person’s identity.
Not all Hate incidents will lead to criminal offences though. One-off incidents such as malicious complaints about parking or abusive gestures may fall short of being a criminal act but if they are repeated, they can become crimes.
Serious offences such as stalking, harassment or coercive behaviour are often made up of incidents that on their own may not be criminal offences. Therefore, it is important to report all incidents, no matter how small, so that everything is documented to prove a pattern of behaviour.
When hate incidents become criminal offences they are known as Hate Crimes. A criminal offence is something that breaks the law.
It is important to report hate incidents, as they can escalate to hate crimes or build up a picture of a pattern of behaviour that can be charged as a criminal offence.
There is further information about Hate Crime/ Hate Incidences on the Hate UK website.
How do I report a hate crime or hate incident?
You can contact us on our Adviceline or in person at one of our offices. Our advisers will explain the process and guide you through the options of reporting.
You can call our Adviceline on 0808 250 5702. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 2pm (except Bank Holidays). Calls to this number are free.
If you can’t hear or speak on the phone, you can type what you want to say using Relay UK.
Relay UK: 18001 then 0808 250 5702
You can use Relay UK with an app or a textphone. There’s no extra charge to use it. Find out how to use Relay UK on the Relay UK website.
You can also report a hate crime to Stop Hate UK via their website or by calling their 24 hour freephone helpline on 0800 138 1625.
For further information about Stop Hate UK see below leaflet