Hate Crime

What is hate crime?

Hate crime is any criminal offence committed against a person or property that is motivated by an offender's hatred of someone because of their:

• race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality or national origins
• religion
• gender or gender identity
• sexual orientation
• disability

The Home Office defines hate crime as:

"Any hate incident, which constitutes a criminal offence, perceived by the victim or any other person as being motivated by prejudice or hate."

Hate crime can take many forms including:

• physical attacks - such as physical assault, damage to property, neighbour disputes and arson
• offensive graffiti - report graffiti online
• threat of attack - including offensive letters, abusive or obscene telephone calls, groups hanging around to intimidate and unfounded, malicious complaints
• verbal abuse or insults - offensive leaflets and posters, abusive gestures, dumping of rubbish outside homes or through letterboxes, and bullying at school or in the workplace

Why report a hate crime?

• It is against the law
• It is a threat to community cohesion
• It is a rejection of our shared values
• It is a human rights issue

How can I report hate crime?

Incidents of hate crime can be reported to Oxford City Council or Thames Valley Police and will be dealt with in the strictest confidence.

Alternatively you can report incidents of hate crime by:

• phoning 999 in an emergency
• phoning the Thames Valley Police non-emergency number 101
• Contact Oxford City Council's CANAcT team - CANAcT will investigate all cases of hate crime where incidents of anti-social behaviour are involved.  You can report these incidents by phoning 01865 249811 or complete the online referral form.
• contacting the Homophobia Awareness Liaison Team (HALT) on 01865 243389

What is happening in Oxfordshire to tackle hate crime?

Homophobia Awareness Liaison Team (HALT)
HALT is a community initiative to create a safer and more inclusive community for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Oxfordshire. More information can be found on the HALT website.

MANTRA
The Oxfordshire MANTRA is a multi agency partnership which aims to challenge and eliminate all forms of hate crimes and incidents. It is currently in the process of setting up a multi-agency referral scheme. Currently, the scheme is being rolled out in pilot areas of Oxfordshire.

Page last reviewed 6 March 2012