Hate crimes are crimes targeted at a person because of hostility or prejudice toward that person’s:
These types of crimes can be committed against people or property, and a victim doesn’t have to be a member of the group that the hostility is aimed at. Hate crimes where the law has been broken should be reported to the police.
If you or someone you know has experienced hate crime, reporting it can stop it happening to someone else. Reporting it also helps the police better understand the level of hate crime in your area and to improve ways to respond to it.
Incidents can be reported by victims or witnesses. Incidents can range from verbal abuse, threatening or aggressive behaviour – even through letters, emails or social media – criminal damage to personal property, or physical attacks.
You should contact the police to report hate crime. You can:
You can also report hate crime anonymously to CrimeStoppers on their website or by calling 0800 555 111.
There are a number of local organisation offering support and advice.
The emergencySMS service lets people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech impediment contact the emergency service by texting 999. Mobile phone numbers must be registered with the service before it can be used.