H&F Hate Crime Strategy 2024-2028 - Understanding hate crime

What is a hate crime?

The UK Government2 defines a hate crime as:

Any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim, or anybody else, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards someone's:

  • Race
  • Religion
  • Sexual orientation
  • Transgender identity
  • Disability

Any crime can therefore be prosecuted as a hate crime if the offender has demonstrated hostility, or been motivated by hostility, based on race, religion, disability, sexual orientation and/or transgender identity. 3

There are three main types of hate crime: physical assault, verbal abuse and incitement to hatred 4.

Examples of hate crimes could include being assaulted by someone who used racist language or someone throwing a brick through your window and writing homophobic graffiti on your house.

It's still a hate crime even if the offender made a mistake about your identity. For example, if they targeted you because they thought you were Muslim, but you aren't 5.

Someone can also be a victim of more than one type of hate crime 6.

2 Hate Crime
3 Hate crime | The Crown Prosecution Service (cps.gov.uk)
4 What is hate crime? | Metropolitan Police
5 Check if you've experienced a hate crime or hate incident - Citizens Advice
6 What is hate crime? | Metropolitan Police

What is a hate incident?

A hate incident is a non-crime incident which is perceived by the victim, or anyone else to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or transgender identity.

If something happened to you that wasn't a crime, but you think it was motivated by prejudice against you, it is a hate incident. However, if someone experiences more than one hate incident by the same person or group of people, it might count as harassment which can be a crime.

Hate incidents and discrimination can escalate to criminal offences, especially if they are repeated and not challenged.

Anyone affected by hate crime or hate incident can access support in H&F.

While the powers partners can use to respond to hate incidents are different to hate crimes, as a partnership we remain committed to ensuring that victims of hate incidents receive appropriate care and support. More information about where you can access support can be found at the end of this strategy.

Residents can report hate crimes and hate incidents to the council's Anti- Social Behaviour Unit. Hate crime reports are treated as high priority cases and an anti-social behaviour coordinator will investigate the case and provide support to the victim and take action against the perpetrator if appropriate and necessary. The anti-social behaviour coordinator will provide advice on how to report hate crimes to the police and will liaise with the Community Alliance to Combat Hate (CATCH) partnership and Stop Hate UK for expert support. Professionals can also refer hate crimes and incidents to our monthly Community Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (CMARAC) where multi-agency action plans can be agreed to safeguard the victim.

The council currently commissions Stop Hate UK to provide a 24-hour helpline for residents affected by hate incidents and hate crimes. We also fund specialist anti-discrimination workshops for young people in schools.

CATCH is commissioned by the Mayor's Office Policing and Crime (MOPAC) to deliver hate crime advice, support and advocacy across London. The alliance brings together eight community organisations to provide tailored support, including: the East European Resource Centre, Galop, The Monitoring Group, Stay Safe East, Tell Mama, Real, The Community Security Trust, and Choice in Hackney. Further details on support services can be found at the end of this strategy.

Reporting of hate crimes

Hate crime is underreported and this is a global problem. There are several recognised contributing factors to why people don't report hate crimes they experience.

A few of these barriers include:

  • Lack of trust in authorities
  • Fear of retaliation
  • People don't realise they have been a victim of a hate crime or incident
  • Incident may seem too minor to report
  • People are unaware of where they can seek advice, support, or guidance

We are working to break down these barriers so that everyone in H&F feels confident in accessing support.

Discrimination and the Equality Act

The Equality Act (2010)7 legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society. As a result of the Act, it is against the law to discriminate against anyone beca use of:

  • Age
  • Gender reassignment
  • Being married or in a civil partnership
  • Being pregnant or on maternity leave
  • Disability
  • Race, including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin
  • Religion or belief
  • Sex
  • Sexual orientation

These are known as 'protected characteristics'.

7 Discrimination: your rights: Types of discrimination ('protected characteristics') - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

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