Everyone has the right to live a life free from violence and abuse. Being a target of hate crime for whatever reason is never acceptable. If you, your family, or your friends experience hate crime, help is available. Reporting this type of crime will prevent it from happening again in the future.
When it comes to your safety and privacy, you can rest assured that your sensitive information will be handled professionally. This article will guide you throughout the process of hate crime reporting and provide three UK organizations that you can reach out to.
National Hate Crime Awareness Week 2020 is taking place from 10th – 17th October, and Disability Equality North West is holding a number of events to raise awareness around Hate Crime and Hate Crime Reporting.
All events can be accessed via Zoom with the meeting ID and password provided.
When Is It Considered a Hate Crime?
A hate crime pertains to any criminal act motivated by the victim’s race, religion, sexual orientation, and disability. Simply put, an act is considered a hate crime if it is solely based on the victim’s identity.
Even though reporting a hate crime doesn’t necessarily result in a criminal offence, doing so is always a better option compared to doing nothing. Presenting evidence is also not a requirement, but it can be helpful for investigative purposes.
The Three Types of Hate Crime
Hate crime incidents fall into one of these categories – physical assault, verbal abuse, and incitement to hatred. These types of hate crime are further discussed below to help you understand each one better.
Physical Assault
Experiencing a physical assault is an offence, no matter how you look at it. You are advised to report such this type of incident immediately so proper actions can be conducted. A perpetrator may be charged any of the following, depending on the extent of violence committed – common assault, actual bodily harm, or grievous bodily harm.
Verbal Abuse
The two most common types of verbal abuse are name-calling and threats. Unfortunately, this type of hate crime is widespread among minority groups. Some victims may think that experiencing verbal abuse is not considered, which is not true at all. There are several laws currently in place that help protect you against this type of abuse.
Incitement to Hatred
When someone does something that intends or threatens to target hatred towards an individual, it is considered an offence of incitement to hatred. This act may be conducted through words, videos, pictures, music, and more. As long as the content suggests doing an act of violence against someone, it is considered a hate crime.
Some UK Organizations That Accept Hate Crime Reports
Hate crime occurrences are among the most prioritized incidents by the government. If you have an incident to report but don’t know where to reach out to, here are some organizations that accept hate crime reports.
Disability Equality North West
Promoting the Social Model of Disability is the utmost priority of this organization. It provides different kinds of services that help disabled people live independently. Disability Equality North West mainly supports disabled victims that are victims of hate crime. Here are the steps you need to take to report hate crime to this organization:
- To reach out to them, go to their ‘Contact Us’ page by clicking here.
- Click the ‘Contact Hate Crime’ button below ‘Hate Crime Support & Action’
- You can contact them by sending an online message, calling their phone number, sending them an email, or delivering a letter by post.
Lancashire Constabulary
The Lancashire Constabulary aims to keep people feeling safe at all times. Their team can be trusted for the compassionate and competent service they provide, offering their services 24/7. Reaching out to this organization is the best option for victims that have experienced physical abuse or are getting physically threatened. This is how you report hate crime to them:
- Access their list of ‘Hate Crime and Third Party Reporting Centres’ by clicking here.
- Depending on which is more convenient, you can either contact your selected ‘Third Party Reporting Centre’ through email or by phone.
- The staff working for these organizations are trained to submit a report on your behalf.
True Vision
This organization has been developed to allow you to easily report hate crime, giving you the option to either report to your local police or online. You can easily submit a report to True Vision by doing either of the following:
- To report hate crime to your local police, click here.
- To report online hate material, click here.
- To access their list of self-reporting forms, click here.
When Should I Call 999?
In some situations, submitting a report online is not the most ideal option. Immediate action is sometimes required, especially when someone’s life is currently in danger. Calling the official UK emergency hotline 999 is always the best option when someone’s life is at risk. On the other hand, submitting a report to any of the three organizations mentioned above should be considered when immediate action is not needed.
If you are a person with disabilities living in Lancashire, we would like to hear how you are coping with lockdown. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch…