Hate Crime

Any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards somebody based on a person's characteristics or perceived characteristics 

• Disability 
• Race/ Ethnicity 
• Religion/ Beliefs 
• Sexual orientation 
• Transgender identity  
• Sex Worker*  

* This characteristic is specific to Merseyside. All Police Services acknowledge 1-5 as hate crimes, however other characteristics can vary by area and include things like misogyny, alternative sub-cultures or age.  

There are numerous ways you can report hate crime. Find out here. 

Ideally hate crime should be reported to Merseyside Police on 101 (non-emergency) or by using the police online reporting form.

If you don't want to talk to the police, you can use Stop Hate UK. The Police and Crime Commissioner for Merseyside has commissioned Stop Hate Uk to provide reporting and support services 24 hours a day 7 days a week. They also provide a translation services. 

If you report an incident to the police, they will record the details and investigate the incident, and where possible and with your permission act against anyone identified as responsible. This may be a prosecution or community resolution.

You will also be offered help to access support from appropriate support services. These can be found at the Victim Cares Merseyside Hub website. It is important that the police are informed about incidents so that they can use intelligence to recognise any repeat or problematic locations, victims or perpetrators. 

Other agencies will take details of the incident and offer support in referring you to the police if they feel a crime as happened. Housing Providers may be able to take direct action against their tenants, if behaviour has breached their tenancy agreement. You should also be offered advice about what support services are available to you. 

If you want to report Hate Crime without providing your details, you can report to Stop Hate UK  or CrimeStoppers UK

There is lots of support available for victims of hate crime. Stop Hate UK can provide you with support services, as well as Victim Care Merseyside Hub - who provides free, confidential, non-judgemental advice and support for all victims of crime, no matter when the incident happened or whether it was reported to the police or not. Find out more about support here.

There is no single piece of legislation criminalising hate crime in England and Wales. Instead, there are different ways in which the law deals with hate crime, find out more here: Hate crime - House of Commons Library 

The Criminal Prosecution Service can request a sentence uplift for some crimes, if there is a hate related element.  

As well as running campaigns raising awareness about what hate crime is, what support services are available, and encouraging victims and witnesses to report.  Some Local Councillors have been trained as hate crime ambassadors - which means you can also report the crime to them.   

Yes there are many local organisations who can provide support to victims of hate crime, including The Anthony Walker Foundation, Citizen's Advice Bureau and Daisy Inclusive UK. Find out more here 

Here's information about how to report online hate from our support services in Stop Hate UK: How to Report Online Hate - Stop Hate UK