Advice on how to report hate crime as part National Hate Crime Awareness Week
Residents across Shropshire are being invited to come along to a series of venues and events starting this Saturday (10 October 2015) to find out more about Hate Crime and how to report it.
The events are taking place during the National Hate Crime Awareness Week 2015, which is Saturday 10 October – Saturday 17 October 2015.
The purpose of the Hate Crime Awareness Week is to tackle Hate Crime issues by raising awareness of what Hate Crime is and how to respond to it, encourage reporting, and promote local support services and resources. Hate Crime information will be available at the following venues and events:
- 10 October – Celebrating Diversity Event, Shrewsbury Fire Station
- 12 October – Edinburgh House, Wem
- 15 October – Coffee Morning – Riversway Elim Church, Shrewsbury
- 16 October – Friday Market – Whitchurch
- 16 – 18 October – The Rainbow Film Festival, Shrewsbury.
These events are supported by the Hate Crime Reporting Group, which is part of Shropshire’s Community Safety Partnership. The group works in partnership to try and understand and reduce incidents and crimes, and to make it easier for people to report crimes when they happen.
An important part of the campaign is the use of community reporting centres. The reporting centres support hate crime victims to do what they choose in order to cope – either to contact the police or, if they don’t want to, to help them get support from other organisations.
The reporting centres also pass on anonymous information about hate incidents, in order to help build a more accurate picture of what is going on across the county. The Reporting Group are raising awareness of the reporting centres during National Hate Crime Awareness Week, not only to make people aware of where the centres are, but also to encourage greater reporting when people are victims of Hate Crime.
Also during October and November, FRESh (Fairness, Respect, Equality Shropshire) will be undertaking a survey on behalf of the Hate Crime Reporting Group in order to find out how often people are singled out, called an abusive name or threatened and bullied through social media, or upset and harassed in other ways because of how they are seen by others. The information will help agencies improve the way they respond to victims.
The survey is online here www.freshshropshire.org.uk/hate-incident-survey/ or a paper or digital copy can be requested from fresh.shropshire@gmail.com.
Shropshire Councillor Jean Jones, who chairs the Hate Crime Reporting Group, said:-
“We are determined to ensure that Shropshire is a safe and welcoming place for everyone. Please help us by always reporting any incidents of Hate Crime and, if you have been a victim of hate crime, by completing the survey.”
Karen Calder, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for health, and Chair of Shropshire’s Health and Well-Being Board, added:
“It is vital that we continue to work together to tackle all forms of Hate Crime.
“Over the last year in Shropshire there have been a number of incidents, or crimes, against people because they are seen as belonging to ethnic minority communities, or because they are seen as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, or because they are seen as people with disabilities. People in Shropshire are being insulted, harassed, belittled or attacked because of someone’s hatred of who they are – or who they are thought to be. This is what Hate Crime means; attacking people simply because they are seen as different or ‘other’ or ‘not like us’.
“Hate Crime Awareness Week is a great opportunity for people to talk to officers and find out more about Hate Crime and to find out how to report it.”
If you are a victim of Hate Crime, or a witness to a Hate Crime or hate incident, you can report it by calling West Mercia Police on 101 or Crimestoppers 0800 555 111 or going online at https://shropshire.gov.uk/crime-and-criminal-justice/report-a-hate-crime/
