Hate crime is any crime motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person’s:
- disability
- gender identity
- race or ethnicity
- religion or belief
- sexual orientation
A victim does not have to belong to the group targeted by the hostility. Anyone could be a victim of a hate crime.
Hate crime might involve:
- bullying
- damage to property
- domestic abuse
- graffiti
- harassment
- physical attacks
- verbal abuse
Report hate crime
We and Cambridgeshire Constabulary take hate crime seriously. If you have experienced hate crime, report it to the police.
- Call 999 if it is an emergency.
- Call 101 or report hate crime to the police if it is not an emergency.
- If you are a city council tenant, you can report hate crime as antisocial behaviour.
Support
Many organisations provide free support and advice for people who have experienced hate crime.
Local organisations
- Cambridge Ethnic Community Forum delivers the Cambridgeshire Human Rights and Equality Support Service. This supports people who have experienced discrimination, harassment or victimisation and infringements to their human rights.
- Cambridgeshire Victim and Witness Hub provides confidential support for victims of crime. You do not need to report the crime to police to access this support.
- Stop Hate UK provides support for people to report hate crimes.
National organisations
- The Community Security Trust protects British Jews from antisemitism and related threats.
- Crimestoppers provides a helpline for reporting crime anonymously.
- Galop provides advice and support to members of the LGBT community.
- Tell Mama supports victims of anti-Muslim hate and monitors anti-Muslim incidents.
- True Vision provides a tool to report hate crime online.