If you have been bullied, assaulted, harassed or verbally abused because you are different, then you may have been a victim of hate crime.
A hate crime is a criminal offence which has been perceived by the victim as having been motivated by some form of prejudice or hate.
Hate crimes and incidents can be motivated by prejudice about:
We recognise that other personal characteristics can lead to incidents or crime motivated by prejudice, and we will not tolerate any form of hate incident or crime.
Crimes that are often committed as hate crimes are:
If an incident has occurred which is motivated by hate or prejudice but is not necessarily a criminal offence, then it is known as a hate incident. Although hate incidents are not criminal offences, they are still a serious matter and should be reported to us.
If you feel in immediate danger you should dial 999.
If you have been a victim of a hate crime, we would prefer to speak to you:
You can also report a hate crime:
Please don’t be worried about talking to us, we will always listen to you and do everything we can to help.
You do not have to be the victim to report an incident. If you see what you think is a hate crime happening, you should report it.
For a list of organisations set up specifically to offer support and advice for victims of hate crime go to the Hate Crime - Help and Support page.