Nobody should have to live with the fear and anxiety that hate crime can cause.
'Hate incidents' and 'hate crimes' are terms used to describe acts of violence or hostility directed at people because of who they are or who someone thinks they are. They are motivated by hostility or prejudice based on disability, race, or religion. This can be an incident against a person or against property and includes materials posted online.
The police take all hate crime very seriously. All police forces would want you to report hate crimes and they take all reports of hate crime very seriously. This means they will also record any such incidents as hate incidents.
Hate Incidents
Some examples of hate incidents include:
- Verbal abuse like name-calling and offensive jokes
- Harassment
- Bullying or intimidation by children, adults, neighbours or strangers
- Physical attacks such as hitting, punching, pushing, spitting
- Threats of violence
- Hoax calls, abusive phone or text messages, hate mail
- Online abuse, for example on Facebook or Twitter
- Displaying or circulating discriminatory literature or posters
- Harm or damage to things such as your home, pet, or vehicle
- Malicious complaints, for example over parking, smells or noise
Hate Crime
When hate incidents become criminal offences they are known as hate crimes. A criminal offence is something that breaks the law. Some examples of hate crimes include:
- Assaults
- Criminal damage
- Harassment
- Murder
- Sexual assault
- Theft
- Fraud
- Burglary
- Hate mail
- Harassment
Race (or Ethnicity) and Religious Hate Crime
Racist and religious crime is particularly hurtful to victims as they are being targeted solely because of their personal identity: their actual or perceived racial or ethnic origin, belief or faith. These crimes can happen randomly or be part of a campaign of continued harassment and victimisation.
Disability Hate Crime
Feeling and being unsafe through violence, harassment or negative stereotyping has a significant impact on disabled people's sense of security and well-being. It also significantly impacts their ability to participate both socially and economically in their communities.