Types of hate crime
Hate crime is any crime that is targeted at a person or group of people because of prejudice or hostility about:
race - including culture, nationality and language
religion and belief
sexual orientation
transgender identity – including anyone who is transsexual, transgender, transvestite or who holds a Gender Recognition Certificate
disability – including physical or mental impairment, or learning disabilities
What the law says
The police will treat hate crime as a priority.
The courts can also impose a more severe sentence than for a similar crime with no hate motive.
Reporting a hate crime
If you think you’ve been a victim of hate crime, you should report it to the police as soon as possible. Some police forces have dedicated officers to deal with particular types of hate crime.
By reporting it when it happens to you, you may be able to prevent it happening to someone else. You will also help the police understand the extent of hate crime in your local area so they can respond to it better.
If you don’t feel comfortable reporting the crime directly to the police, you may be able to use an independent reporting scheme. These schemes are usually run by your local council or voluntary groups. You can report the crime directly to them and they will pass the details to the police for you.
You can also report hate crimes online, if you don't want to report them directly to the police. The True Vision website, which is owned by the Association of Chief Police Officers, has an online reporting form (use the True Vision link below). The police take hate crime very seriously and they'll record and investigate the offence even if you don't want to give your details. But if the police can't contact you, their investigation and ability to prosecute the offenders are severely limited.
Going to court
If you need it, you can get help in giving your evidence to the police and when you go to court. This help is called special measures. These special measures include:
communication aids
giving evidence through a specially trained person
giving evidence by video
If you feel you might need this kind of help, just tell the police when you report the crime.
Anti-social behaviour
Anti-social behaviour includes abusive or noisy neighbours, littering and graffiti. It can leave you feeling intimidated, angry and frightened. Your council and the police can help. Find out what can be done and what you can do to stop it.
What is anti-social behaviour?
Anti-social behaviour includes things such as:
rowdy, noisy behaviour in otherwise quiet neighbourhoods
night time noise from houses or gardens, especially between 11.00 pm and 7.00 am
threatening, drunken or 'yobbish' behaviour
vandalism, graffiti and fly-posting
dealing or buying drugs on the street
litter and fly-tipping rubbish
aggressive begging
drinking in the street
setting off fireworks late at night
abandoning cars on the street
Anti-social behaviour doesn't just make life unpleasant. It can ruin lives and make whole areas feel unsafe.
If you encounter it, report it
If anti-social behaviour is a problem in your area, there’s a lot you can do to help put a stop to it.
You can:
talk to your neighbours to find out if they're affected as well
if you feel comfortable doing so talk to the person causing the problem; they may not realise how it is affecting you
report the problem to your local council's anti-social behaviour coordinator
call your police force's non-emergency number
tell your landlord or residents’ association about the situation
contact your local neighbourhood policing team, or attend one of their regular meetings
If the situation is an emergency (if someone's life or health is threatened) call 999.
No matter how you report anti-social behaviour, all complaints are treated as confidential. So you don’t have to worry about your identity being revealed.
The council and police both need evidence of what's happened to you, so keep a note of problems. They should not ask you to do this indefinitely.
Once you have reported the problem, you should be kept informed of progress in your case.