Hate crime

Have you experienced hate crime?

if you’ve experienced a crime, and you think the crime behaviour was motivated by prejudice against you:

• because of your race or religion
• because of your sexuality
• because you're disabled
• because you're transgender

For example, it’s a hate crime if someone assaulted you and used homophobic language or threw a brick through your window and wrote racist graffiti on your house. 

It's still a hate crime if someone made a mistake about your identity. For example if they attacked you because they thought you were Muslim, but you aren’t.

The penalty for a crime is more serious if it's a hate crime.

If you've experienced something that wasn't a crime, but you think it was motivated by prejudice against you, it’s a hate incident. For example, if someone shouted abuse at you from their car.

If you experience more than one hate incident by the same person or group of people, it might count as harassment. Harassment can be a crime. For example, it might be harassment if someone on your street keeps shouting abuse at you.

If you're not sure if what happened was a hate crime or a hate incident, you can talk to Stop Hate UK.

They can happen anywhere - at home, school, work or on the street. It can be frightening for the victim and witnesses.

Getting help and reporting hate crime

Derbyshire's free confidential 24 hour third party reporting is independent of the police and provided by Stop Hate UK. You can also:

• email: talk@stophateuk.org
• telephone: 0800 138 1625
• text: 07717 989 025
• use web chat and instant messaging

Derbyshire Police can also take information and you can make a statement:

• telephone: 101 or if it's an emergency telephone: 999
• SMS text - you'll need to register your mobile phone before using the emergency SMS service:
  • non-emergency text: 07800 002414
  • emergency text: 999
• Deaftext users should still continue to use that system as it is available to all mobile phones - contact Derbyshire Police for the deaf SMS contact form
• fax: 01773 571102

Crimestoppers will take your call anonymously telephone: 0800 555 111.

Derbyshire victims services - Step up beat hate can take reports and offer advocacy and resolution through restorative justice:

• email support@derbyshirecore.org
• telephone: 0800 612 6505