Safer St Helens
Hate Crime is any offence or hostility directed at individuals, groups and communities because of who they are or who someone thinks they are. It can include threats, physical harm, property damage and harassment towards you, because of your race, religion, disability, sexuality, gender identity, nationality or ethnicity. If you’re not sure whether you have experienced an incident of hate, Stop Hate UK offers the following rule of thumb: if you think it is, it is. Reporting makes a difference to you, your friends & your community.
Research shows that there are higher levels of hate crime taking place than are currently reported – which means that some of the people in our communities who are being made to feel vulnerable or unsafe, are suffering in silence.
When you report hate crime, you WILL be taken seriously.
The Police will investigate all incidents of hate sensitively to decide whether a crime has been committed. If there is enough evidence to bring about a realistic prospect of conviction, it is more likely that a prosecution will be in the public interest. So in these cases, the court can increase the sentence.
As well as getting the support you need, you can stop it happening to anyone else, by helping the Police to better understand the level of hate crime in your area & improve the way the Police respond to it.
Stop Hate UK are able to take reports of hate crime 24 hours a day. Someone is always available to support you! They provide confidential support to people affected by Hate Crime and can be contacted:
- By phone: 0800 138 1625
- Online at stophateuk.org/talk
- In an email: talk@stophateuk.org
- Via instant messaging
- In a text: 07717 989 025
- In the post: Stop Hate UK, PO Box 484, LS7 9BZ
