Hate crime
Hate Crime is defined as any criminal offence that is perceived by the victim or any other person as being motivated by prejudice or hate, based on a person’s actual or perceived race, religious belief, sexual orientation, disability or gender identity.
A victim does not have to be a member of the group at which the hostility is targeted.
Police reporting
- In emergencies, call the police on 999
- If you are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech impairment, a text phone is available on 18000
- Pre-registered users can also text us on 999
- The non-emergency number to call is 101
- Report online at Wiltshire Police
Non-Police local reporting-alternatives
It is widely accepted that hate crimes are under-reported. Not all victims are comfortable with reporting their experiences directly to the police.
They may:
- find visiting police stations intimidating or daunting
- think the police won’t believe them or take them seriously
- be unaware they are victims of hate crimes
- not be aware of alternative ways to report hate crimes
- experience a lack of support to help victims make a report, for example, interpreters
- fear being outed in terms of their sexual orientation or disability
National independent reporting alternatives
You can also report hate crime at one of the following national independent reporting sites without revealing your personal details:
- Wiltshire Victim Support - local version of the national service, including a helpline and online chat
- Crimestoppers - a national charity with a free helpline for reporting crime anonymously
- Tell MAMA - a national project supporting victims of anti-Muslim hate and monitoring anti-Muslim incidents
- Community Security Trust (CST) - a charity protecting British Jews from antisemitism and related threats
- Galop - a national charity providing advice and support to members of the LGBT community
Understanding hate crime
Hate crime can take the form of:
- physical violence or assault
- verbal abuse or threats
- obscene calls or texts
- offensive mail or email
- harassment, exclusion or isolation
- damage to property
Race hate crime
Any incident that is perceived to be based upon prejudice towards or hatred of the victim because of their actual or perceived race. Racism describes a complex series of attitudes, actions and words that discriminate against people on the basis of their skin colour, country of origin, religion, ethnic identity or nationality.
Disability hate crime
Any incident that is perceived to be based upon prejudice towards or hatred of the victim because they are, or are perceived to be, a disabled person.
Gender identity hate crime
Any incident that is perceived to be based upon prejudice towards or hatred of the victim because they are, or are perceived to be, transgender or gender non-binary.
Religious hate crime
Any incident that is perceived to be based upon prejudice towards or hatred of the victim because of their actual or perceived religion or belief or lack thereof.
Sexual orientation hate crime
Any incident that is perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated by a hostility or prejudice based on a person’s actual or perceived sexual orientation.
