What is a hate crime?
In most crimes it is something the victim has in their possession or control that motivates the offender to commit the crime. With hate crime it is ‘who’ the victim is, or ‘what’ the victim appears to be that motivates the offender to commit the crime.
A hate crime is defined as ‘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 race or perceived race; religion or perceived religion; sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation; disability or perceived disability and any crime motivated by hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender or perceived to be transgender.’
Hate Crime can include:
- verbal abuse
- physical assault
- threatening behaviour
- offensive graffiti
- harassment
- malicious communications by phone, text, email or social media
- damage to property and violence
Hate Incidents are incidents motivated by prejudice which have caused alarm or distress to the victim but which fall short of being a criminal offence.
Not all hate incidents will amount to criminal offences, but it is equally important that these are reported and recorded by the police.
Evidence of the hate element is not a requirement. You do not need to personally perceive the incident to be hate related. It would be enough if another person, a witness or even a police officer thought that the incident was hate related.
Devon and Cornwall Police encourage reports of all hate crimes and incidents and are keen for these to be reported at the earliest opportunity. The Police urge communities, key networks and independent advisors to work with them to report incidents and ensure that anyone who may be a victim of such unwanted behaviour will receive the help and support they need.
How to report a hate crime
Is it an emergency?
Does it feel like the situation could get heated or violent very soon? Is someone in immediate danger? Do you need support right away? If so, please call 999 now.
SMS/Text: 999 – if you are Deaf/hard of hearing or speech impaired.
Report it online
True Vision is a national police scheme to help victims report hate crime online.
Report by phone
Call 101
SMS/Text: 67101 – if you are Deaf/hard of hearing or speech impaired.
This is a national, non-emergency telephone number and is staffed 24/7 to give you support and advice.
Visit a police station
If you’d prefer to speak to an officer in person, you can visit any police station to make your report.
Third party reporting centres
These are places you can go for advice from trained people if you don’t want to go to the police. To make a third party report you can report it online.
- To report racist incidents you can contact Plymouth and Devon Racial Equality Council (PDREC: Tel: 01752 224555).
- Call 0800 138 1625 – 24 hour helpline from Stop Hate UK (coverage includes Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly policing area).
- Contact the victim care unit by visiting their website here.
- To report homophobic or transphobic incidents you can contact The Intercom Trust – Phone: 0845 60 20 818.
- For rape, sexual violence and abuse visit Devon Rape Crisis.
Report hate material you’ve seen online
If you’ve seen something on a website or social media that promotes hatred or violence against a particular group, you can use an online form to report it.
Other help
You may not be ready to talk to the police about what has happened. The charities, groups and organisations below can offer support, advice and ways to report the incident without having to talk directly to the police.
Crimestoppers
A national charity with a free helpline for reporting crime anonymously.
Tell MAMA
A national project supporting victims of anti-Muslim hate and monitoring anti-Muslim incidents.
Community Security Trust (CST)
A charity protecting British Jews from antisemitism and related threats.
Galop
A national charity providing advice and support to members of the LGBT community.
If you, or anyone you know, has been a victim of a Hate Crime then please report it.
Too many hate crimes go unreported, leaving the offenders free to commit similar crimes again, whether against you or other members of our community. We understand that you might feel nervous about reporting it, but your information is vital to help us eliminate Hate Crimes.
Even if you don’t want it to go to court – please report it.
Even if you don’t want to give your name – please report it. You can remain anonymous if you want and give as much or as little information as you wish. What you tell the police will help to provide a true picture of what is happening within our community.
