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Hate Crime

What is hatred and hate crime

What is hatred?

Hatred is a strong term that goes beyond simply causing offence or hostility. Hate crime is any criminal offence committed against a person or property that is motivated by an offender's hatred of someone because of their:

• race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality or national origins
• religion
• gender or gender identity
• sexual orientation
• disability

What is a hate crime?

Hate crime can take many forms including:

• physical attacks - such as physical assault, damage to property, offensive graffiti, neighbour disputes and arson
• threat of attack - including offensive letters, abusive or obscene telephone calls, groups hanging around to intimidate and unfounded, malicious complaints
• verbal abuse or insults - offensive leaflets and posters, abusive gestures, dumping of rubbish outside homes or through letterboxes, and bullying at school or in the workplace

Reporting a hate crime

Cheshire Police recognise that there are barriers to communication with some communities. Sometimes the public feel mistrustful or too intimidated to contact the police directly. For this reason they started a collaborative project with partner agencies.

The Police are working with a variety of statutory agencies and community/voluntary sector organisations to create alternative facilities for reporting Hate incidents. The reason is to have a service that is victim led rather than police led and to build confidence with resident communities. See the Police website for agencies and organisations in Cheshire that are participating in this service – Hate Crime Reporting Centres.

True Vision

The police service has launched a website for victims of hate crime which includes an online reporting form to enable victims to report hate crime online. The True Vision website is supported by all forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and can be accessed.

True Vision provides information for victims and the public about what hate crime is, why it is important to report it when it happens, and sets out the range of ways hate crimes can be reported, including via a new online reporting form. The site also provides links to organisations that can offer support and advice on hate crime related issues.