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Hate crime

Hate crime is everyone's problem - don't look away, don't ignore it, don't stay silent

The Police record hate crime using the following categorisation as set out by the Home Office.

A hate crime is when a crime occurs against a person and/or their property, and the motive is due to:

  • Race
  • Religion/belief
  • Disability
  • Sexual orientation
  • Alternative lifestyles
  • Transgender

This is a criminal offence, for which you can be arrested and prosecuted. Anyone can be a victim of a hate crime, not just those in minority communities.

Hate crimes include physical assault, threats, bullying, disputes with neighbours, spitting at someone, swearing and calling people names, doing things to frighten, setting fire to someone's property or just general harassment.

Report a hate crime

There are a number of ways you can report a hate crime:

If you experience a hate crime while receiving services from us, you should make a formal complaint immediately.

You can also download a leaflet with information on hate crime.

Additional support

The charities, groups and organisations below can offer support, advice and ways to report the incident without having to talk directly to the police:

  • Crimestoppers - a national charity with a free helpline for reporting crime anonymously
  • Tell MAMA - a national project supporting victims of anti-Muslim hate and monitoring anti-Muslim incidents
  • Community Security Trust (CST) - a charity protecting British Jews from antisemitism and related threats
  • Galop - a national charity providing advice and support to members of the LGBT community
  • Safety Net - prevents the exploitation of people with learning disabilities by those claiming to be their friends
  • Scope - ensuring disabled people have the same opportunities as everyone else
  • Stonewall - providing support to all lesbian, gay, bi and trans people