Hate hurts. Report it and put a stop to it.
Date published: 20 February 2020 12:30Hate can be any incident or crime, motivated by prejudice or hostility (or perceived to be so) against a person’s race, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity or disability. It includes:
- A criminal offence where the law is broken is a hate crime
- An incident that is not criminal offences is a hate incidents
'Hate' can cause a range of emotional responses, including fear, anger and shock. People experience mental and physical well-being issues such as problems sleeping, depression, anxiety and paranoia. Hate hurts and no-one should have to tolerate it.
What is hate crime?
Hate crime is an incident or crime which is perceived to be motivated by prejudice or hostility (or perceived to be so) against a person’s:
- Race – nationality, ethnicity, skin colour and heritage
- Faith – religion, belief, non-religious belief
- Disability – physical, hearing and visual impairments, mental ill health and learning disabilities
- Sexual orientation - people who identify as lesbian, gay, bi-sexual or heterosexual
- Gender identity - people who identify as ‘trans’ including transgender or transsexual people
It can include things like:
- Physical assault
- Damage to property
- Offensive graffiti
- Arson
- Inciting hatred online
Here’s Superintendent Sarah Poolman, the hate crime lead, detailing our commitment to tackling the problem.
Our Strategy
You can find out more about our commitment to tackling hate crime in our strategy here.
CPS Yorkshire and Humberside Hate Crime sentence uplift examples
Under hate crime legislation the courts must pass increased sentences where prosecutors evidence that offences have been motivated by hostility towards a person’s race, religion, disability, transgender identity or sexuality. See examples from Yorkshire and the Humberside here.
What is a hate incident?
The Police can only prosecute when the law is broken, but we also want to know about non-crime hate incidents. These incidents may not be criminal offences but often can feel like a crime to those affected, and can sometimes escalate to crimes, therefore, we work with partners to try and prevent this from happening. Non-crime hate incidents include things such as offensive or insulting comments, online, in person or in writing.
Click here for more information on how CPS prosecutes hate crimes.
We are committed to tackling hate, no matter what form it comes in. We will deal with your report professionally and with consideration to your needs and wishes. No-one should have to live with fear, anxiety and consequences of hate.
Put a stop to it
Even if you are unsure whether what you have experienced or witnessed was a crime, by reporting the incident, it enables us to support the victim, deal with it appropriately, work with our partners to better understand hate crime and ultimately, stop others becoming victims.
Report it
Call 101 or in an emergency call 999.
You can also report Hate online, click here for the form.
As well as the police you can also report hate to other agencies if you prefer. Please bear in mind this information will be passed on to enable us to investigate.
Reporting centres in Doncaster
Reporting centres in Rotherham
Reporting centres in Sheffield
Crimestoppers – Report anonymously on 0800 555 111. Anonymous reports will be passed to police; however, an investigation may be limited where reports are anonymous.