What is a hate crime?
A hate crime is any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim, or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person’s actual or perceived;
- Race
- Religion
- Sexual Orientation
- Transgender identity
- Disability
Examples of hate crime can include;
- Physical abuse or violence
- Verbal abuse or threats
- Sexual abuse
- Offensive calls or texts
- Written/printed abuse (including offensive mail or email)
- Indirect attacks
- Harassment, exclusion or isolation
- Damage to property
- Online abuse
What is a hate incident?
A hate incident is recorded when someone is discriminated against because of any of the above listed characteristics, but a criminal offence has not been committed. The police also monitor hate incidents.
Hate incidents could include: Not allowing someone to enter a club because of their ethnicity, laughing at homophobic jokes, or refusing to let someone with a disability sit next to you. Just because a crime has not been committed does not mean the behaviour is acceptable, and the police still record and investigate hate incidents. In many cases hate incidents can turn into hate crime. For example, bullying can become the criminal offence of harassment.
Reporting hate crime
Hertsmere Borough Council and the Healthy Hub on Leeming Road are now registered as a Third-Party Reporting Centre for Hate Crime.
Research consistently shows that hate crimes and incidents are more under-reported than other crime. Many people, for a variety of reasons, are reluctant to report crime directly to the police and Third-party reporting is a way to overcome this.
Hertsmere Borough Council has agreed to make reports to the police on behalf of victims who do not want to go directly to the police. We will provide a supportive, positive and confidential environment for hate crime victims to make a report. You can remain anonymous if you wish, and you don’t need to have contact with the police if you don’t want to.
For further information, please contact customer.services@hertsmere.gov.uk
Reports can also be made to the police by calling 101 (non-emergency) or in an emergency call 999. To report a hate crime online visit the True Vision website.
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