A hate crime is 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, skin colour, nationality, ethnicity or heritage;
- Religion or perceived religion (including people without a religious belief);
- Sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation;
- Disability or perceived disability (including physical impairments, mental health problems, learning disabilities, hearing and visual impairments
- Gender Identity (people who are transgender, transsexual or transvestite)
The criminal offences are criminal damage, public order, harassment and assault.
It can include:
- name calling or verbal abuse
- graffiti or abusive writing
- damage to property
- threats or intimidation
- bullying or harassment
- physical attacks or violence, including sexual violence, arson and murder.
Reporting a Hate Crime
- In an emergency, you should always call Merseyside Police on 999
- Report it to the police using the non-emergency 101 number
- Alternatively, if you do not wish to speak to the police you can contact independent hate crime reporting line Stop Hate UK
- Use a third party reporting centre
Stop Hate UK
Merseyside's Police Commissioner funds national charity Stop Hate UK to deliver a pan-Merseyside 24/7 helpline for all victims of hate crime.
If you don't want to call the police, for any reason, Stop Hate UK can provide extra support.
Stop Hate UK is available 24 hours a day. The helpline is confidential and independent.
You can report a hate crime by:
- Telephone on 0800 138 1625
- Text: 07717 989 025
- Text relay: 18001 0113 293 5100
- Webchat at www.stophateuk.org/talk
Information about reporting hate crimes and about the Stop Hate Line is available form the charity in:
- English and more than 40 languages
- in large print and Braille
- in words and pictures
- as audio
- in British Sign Language
A number of Stop Hate Line operators speak other languages. If a caller wants to speak a language other than English, they need to tell the operator in English their name, phone number and the name of the language they speak. An interpreter will then call them back, usually within 72 hours.
People who contact the Stop Hate Line can remain anonymous if they wish and their contact details will only be shared with their consent.
Third party reporting centres
You can also report hate crime using a third party reporting centre. These are independent, non-police centres that allow you to report incidents in complete confidence.
There are now more than 90 third party reporting centres across Merseyside. At each centre, staff are trained to help victims get advice and support in a safe and secure environment.
They can help you to contact the police or Stop Hate UK and report any incidents of hate or abuse.
Centres can be identified by the logo to the left.
To find out more about third-party reporting centres, or how to become one, Contact Us
More support
Through the Victim Care Merseyside service, the Commissioner also funds three dedicated hate crime support services to help victims of hate crime on Merseyside.
In recognition of the potentially damaging consequences of hate crime, each service is tailored to a different ‘strand’ of hate crime, to ensure victims of racial hate crime, sexuality and gender identity-based hate crime and people subjected to hate because of a disability all receive specialist support according to their need.
- the Anthony Walker Foundation - hate crime motivated by a person's race or religion
- Daisy UK - disability hate crime
- Citizens Advice Liverpool - support for victims of LGBTQ+ hate crime
The National LGBT + Police Network supports police forces to develop knowledge and services that will enhance the service to the LGBT + community. It works to support forces to be representative and inclusive. You can found out more about the Network's work through their Facebook page.
Resources
Please get in touch if you would like any more information about the above services or would like to access Stop Hate UK materials.