Hate Crimes and Hate Related Incidents

What is a hate incident or hate crime?

A crime or incident committed because of who you are or who someone thinks you are.

A Hate Incident is any incident which the victim, or anyone else, thinks it is based on someone’s prejudice towards them because of their disability, gender identity, race or ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. When hate incidents become criminal offences they are known as hate crimes.

This may include:

• Verbal abuse
• Offensive graffiti
• Threatening behaviour
• Damage to property
• Assault
• Cyber bullying
• Abusive texts, emails or phone calls
• Taking money from you.

Why is it so important to report a hate crime or hate incident?

Hate incidents and hate crimes are under-reported. We need to understand the problem so that the right decisions can be made to stop YOU or a member of YOUR family and friends from becoming the next victim.

Without knowing that these issues are taking place, we can’t stop them happening to you or someone else.

Reporting these issues helps us and other organisations track the extent of the problem in YOUR local area and do the right things to make YOUR community safer, a better place to live and make sure the right support is available.

The right support means we can stop victims feeling isolated, depressed, frightened, distressed or even worse taking their own life.

What support is there and who can I contact?

Report Hate – Victim Support - Victim Support’s aim is to make things easier for those experiencing hate crime by advocating with the police and housing where they can help make people feel safe again with personal and home security and signpost people to other agencies to ensure the best support in place.

StopHateUk.org - is a useful website with links and information on hate crime

Gwent Police - have their own dedicated page to hate crime

For further information visit the Gwent Safeguarding website.