Hate crime
A 'hate crime’ is any incident committed against a person or property motivated by the offender's hatred for people because of who they are.
This may be because of:
• disability
• transgender identity
• race, including ethnicity
• religion, belief or non-belief
• sexual orientation
Hate crime can take the form of an assault, verbal abuse, threats, name calling, harassment, damage to property, arson or cyber bullying e.g. Facebook and Twitter. We take hate crime very seriously. It is important that every incident is reported so it can be dealt with properly.
How do I report a hate crime?
We recognise that not everyone wants, or is able, to report hate crime directly to the police. In Derbyshire, the independent charity Stop Hate UK offers initial support and advice.
Stop Hate UK operates a 24-hour freephone service (0800 138 1625) for victims and witnesses. The organisation is totally independent of the police and will not pass on callers’ details without explicit consent. If a caller wishes, however, Stop Hate UK will report the incident to the police on their behalf.
Stop Hate UK also has facilities for online reporting, as well as via text message to 0771 798 9025.
Those with hearing difficulties can use Text Relay on 18001 0800 138 1625.
You can report Hate crime directly to the police:
If you need immediate assistance as someone is in danger, or a crime is taking place at that moment, always dial 999
If an incident has happened but you don’t need immediate help, you can contact the police by:
- Through the website on www.derbyshire.police.uk
- Calling Derbyshire Police on 101
- Through a direct message on Twitter to @DerPolContact