Hate crime is any criminal offence committed against a person or property which is motivated by an offender's hatred of someone because of their race, colour, ethnic origin or nationality, their religion, their gender or gender identity, their sexual orientation, or their disability.
It can take many forms, from physical attacks such as an assault, damage to property, offensive graffiti and arson, to verbal abuse or insults or the threat of attack, including the sending of offensive letters, emails or texts, abusive or obscene telephone calls or malicious complaints.
The Safer Wolverhampton Partnership is calling on people to help raise awareness of the issue, and understand the ways that victims of, or witnesses to, an incident can report hate crime, during this year's national Hate Crime Awareness Week, which began on Saturday and continues until 19 October. People can:
- Call police on 101 – or dial 999 if it is an emergency
- Contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via Crimestoppers
- Report in person to the police at any police station or one of the Police Hate Crime drop-ins – see StopHateWLV for details
- Report at any Third-Party Reporting Centre – independent organisations that have been trained to record hate crimes and incidents, offer support and signpost to other help. See StopHateWLV for details
- Visit Report It and fill in the online reporting form which will be forwarded to police for investigation
- If an incident occurs on a train or the Midland Metro, text British Transport Police on 61016
- If the incident is Islamophobic in nature, Tell MAMA by visiting Tell MAMA or calling on 0800 456 1226
- If the incident is anti-Semitic, it can be reported via Community Security Trust’s website, CST, or by calling 0208 457 9999.
Members of the Safer Wolverhampton Partnership will be at Tesco Wolverhampton, Marston Road, on Wednesday (16 October) from 10am to 12.30pm, Central Library, Snow Hill, on Thursday (17 October) from 10am to 12.30pm and Wednesfield Library, Well Lane, also Thursday from 2pm to 4.30pm, to raise awareness the importance of reporting hate crime, and will also be holding a series of other activities throughout the week.
Meanwhile, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Public Health team have been working with the University of Wolverhampton's Wellbeing champions, who will be supporting with activities this week.
John Denley, Wolverhampton’s Director of Public Health, said: "The Safer Wolverhampton Partnership takes hate crime incredibly seriously, and all reports will be fully investigated by police.
“We are using Hate Crime Awareness Week to get people thinking about how they can respond to hate crime if they witness or are victims to it.
"Most importantly, we'll be encouraging people to report instances of hate crime, which will enable victims to get the support they need and to ensure those committing it are met with justice."
People can find out more about hate crime by logging on to StopHateWLV. For details of National Hate Crime Awareness week, please visit #NationalHCAW.
