Westward does not tolerate hate crime
What is Hate Crime?
Hate incidents and hate crime are acts of verbal, written or physical abuse, or acts of harassment or intimidation against a person or a group of people because of their perceived personal characteristics.
A hate crime is any incident which is perceived by the victim as having been motivated by prejudice or hate. This would include prejudice against a person’s or a group of people’s age, race, gender, gender reassignment status, sexual orientation, disability or religion, belief or lack of belief
Examples of hate crime can include:
- Racial abuse – where abuse is targeted at someone’s race, culture, country of origin or immigration status
- Sexist abuse – where abuse is targeted at someone’s gender
- Homophobic abuse – where abuse is targeted at someone’s sexual orientation
- Transphobic abuse – where abuse is targeted at transgender or transsexual people
- Religious abuse – where abuse is targeted at someone’s religion
- Ageist abuse – where abuse is targeted at someone’s age.
Why report hate crime incidents?
If you have experienced or witnessed an incident of hate crime, you should report this to the Police, as it is a criminal offence. By reporting such incidents you will enable agencies to monitor where these incidents are taking place and help them to take action.
Westward will work with the police and other agencies to do something about it, but if you decide not to report, we will not know whether there is a problem.
How can you report a hate crime incident?
To Westward:
You can report a Hate crime by completing our online form at the bottom of this page.
To the Police in person:
You can report the incident directly to the police by visiting your local police station or by phone. When you report the incident you should ask for the reference number, this will help you in any further dealings with the police in future. If you are not comfortable reporting the incident you can ask someone else to phone the police on your behalf such as a friend or relative. You can also contact a Citizens Advice Bureau to help you phone the police.
If English is not your first language or you are not comfortable speaking in English, you can request that the police provide an interpreter to speak to you in your native language.
Find your local police station.
To the Police via True Vision
You can report an incident to the Police online via the True Vision website. Report a hate crime - True Vision (report-it.org.uk)
Once you have filled in the form online, it is sent directly to your local police force. You can also use the self–reporting form which you must then send to your local police.
It is vital to give as many details as possible; as this helps the police deal with your case more efficiently. If you want the police to investigate the incident, you will need to provide your contact details and the best time to contact you.
If you need help reporting the incident you can seek additional advice from the Citizens Advice Bureau.
You can find help and support from the National Stop Hate UK website and 24 hour help line 0800 138 1625
How Westward can help
If you've been affected by hate crime, then let us help you. We will offer you support and help you decide what to do next.
Within 24 hours of us receiving a report regarding a hate crime, you will be contacted by an officer who will arrange a home visit, or you can request to meet at a location of your choice.
At the visit we will:
- Treat you with respect, listen to what you have to say and gather as much supporting information from you as we can.
- Make you aware of all the available options which include:
- Referral to support agencies including Victim Support and police
- Contacting witnesses and gathering further evidence
- Take action against the perpetrator
Upon agreeing a course of action with you, we will:
- Keep you updated
- Review the case
- Only make contact with witnesses, other residents in the area and or the alleged perpetrator with your consent
- With your consent, we will liaise with other organisations that are already involved or could help.
For more information read our Safeguarding and Hate Crime leaflet.
Please click on the links below for easy read leaflets:
Hate crime leaflet 1
Hate crime leaflet 2
Watch the Stop Hate UK Information Film with British Sign Language.