Another week and another good cause to raise awareness of, this week has been focused around hate crime and is run in partnership with many organisations and police forces around the country. The purpose of this week is to tackle the various issues that surround hate crime, and raise awareness of what is classed as a hate crime and how to go about reporting it.
This week we have been standing together with Thames Valley Police to inform the people of Reading about Homophobic, Biphobic and Transphobic hate crime. It was a great chance to meet with many of you to discuss all elements of hate crime, two questions that many of you seemed to ask was what the hate crime figures for Reading were? And what is classed as a hate crime? Hopefully through this post we will be able to answer both of these and many other questions you may have.
So what are the latest figures for reading?
This week it was reported that nationally the number of reported cases of hate crime has increased by 18% since the previous year. As part of this increase, the number of homophobic hate crime also saw a national increase of 22%. In Reading this figure is very different, in the last quarter (July – Sept) there were 180 reported hate crimes of which 11% were LGBT related.
We don’t directly know what causes the increase in hate crime figures if it’s just more cases occurring, increase in the number being reported or increased methods of reporting by the police and other services. One thing is clear is that week’s such as this are making a difference in helping to spread the message of hate crime awareness and tackling the issues at hand, head on.
What classes as a Hate Crime?
This is such a broad question but the answer is very simple. Hate crimes are acts of violence or hostility towards an individual based on a set of characteristics that make them who they are. The difference between this and ‘generic’ crime is that it is motivated by hate due to personal characteristics differences such as: race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.
How do I report a Hate Crime?
If you or someone you know think’s they have been the victim of a hate crime then it is important that it gets reported to the police so it can be investigated and possibly stopped from happening to someone else. There are many different ways in which you can report a hate crime, whether you are the victim or witness.
Police – In an emergency call 999 or non-emergency 101.
Crime Stoppers – http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org, 0800 555111
Stop Hate UK – Helpline 0800 138 1625 (LGBT Helpline 0808 801 0661)
Been a victim or a Hate Crime? Or just want to stand up against Hate Crime? Why not join us and many others in Forbury Gardens for the annual hate crime vigil. https://www.facebook.com/events/879025985508673/