Hate crime

Everyone should be free to live their lives without fear of abuse or attack on the basis of who they are, what they believe or how they look.

Hate crime can affect everyone, young and old, and every ethnicity. We support victims from a wide variety of backgrounds

Hate crime describes when someone is victimised because of their:

• race
• religion and belief
• sexual orientation
• disability
• gender identity

If you or another person perceives a crime to be motivated by hate against one of the above, then it will be treated as a hate crime.

Hate crime can take many forms. For example, a hate crime can be:

• physical violence
• verbal abuse
• online abuse
• obscene calls
• criminal damage
• arson
• dumping of rubbish
• intimidation

Report all incidents, whether or not they require immediate response.

If you have experienced hate crime, you can report the incident online at True Vision.

In an emergency, always call 999 when you need an immediate police response because:

• a crime is in progress
• someone suspected of a crime is nearby
• there is danger to life
• violence is being used or threatened

To report incidents that require police attention, but are not emergencies, you should call the non-emergency number, 101.

If you are a council tenant, you can also contact the hate crime case worker.

• In person: Somerstown housing office, Tyseley Road, Southsea, Portsmouth PO5 4EZ
• By phone: 023 9284 1050
• By email: asbu@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

Victim Support offers lots of information and support for victims of all sorts of crime – you can also request support and find out more about reporting a crime.

• The Safer Portsmouth Partnership– combating racial harassment is one of the city’s priorities.
• Advice Portsmouth (The YOU Trust)– information about hate crime with advice on what you can do about it.
• On Your Side – A UK-wide support and reporting service for anyone in the UK who identifies as East and Southeast Asian who has experienced racism or any forms of hate.
• Local mental health support – resources available locally, for children, young people and adults.
• Stop Hate Crime – resources available in the UK to tackle hate crime.
• True Visionis a national website with information about hate crime and how to report it.
• Equality & human rights commission– publicly funded, non-governmental body promoting, among other things, racial equality
• Gov.uk’s plan to address hate crimeand explaining the law around discrimination
• Institute of Race Relations– for news and information on race issues in the UK and Europe.