Hate Crime
What is Hate Crime?
Hate crimes are any crimes that are targeted at a person because of hostility or prejudice towards that person’s:
- disability
- race or ethnicity
- religion or belief
- sexual orientation
- transgender identity
It is defined by the Criminal Justice system as:
'Any crime or incident which is perceived by the victim, or any other person, to be motivated by a hostility or prejudice, based on a person's real or presumed religion, sexual orientation, race, gender identity or disability'
It might be that someone has shouted names at you, taken money from you or told them to buy you things when you didn't want to, it might also be that someone has physically hurt you or damaged your property.
Someone doesn't have to hate you to commit these crimes against you, they may only dislike the fact you are disabled or gay for example. This might be difficult to prove and you may try to ignore it but it is really important that you let someone know if you think you are being targeted.
Hate Incidents can feel like crimes to those who suffer them and often escalate to crimes or tension in a community. For this reason the police are concerned about incidents and you can use this site to report non-crime hate incidents. The police can only prosecute when the law is broken but can work with partners to try and prevent any escalation in seriousness.
Hate crimes and incidents hurt; they can be confusing and frightening.
By reporting them when they happen to you, you may be able to prevent these incidents from happening to someone else. You will also help the police understand the extent of hate crime in your local area so they can better respond to it.
You can download an easy read leaflet about hate crime here which includes information on how to report and access support.
Report to the Police
You can report hate crime to the police using the non-emergency number 101. In an emergency please dial 999.
Report to Victims First
Phone: 0300 1234 148
Report Online
You can also report hate crime to Victims First using our Hate Crime Reporting Form
Please note that by completing the form your details will be passed to Victims First.