Reducing hate crime

To report a hate crime visit the Third Party Reporting page.

The experience of prejudice and hate is not limited to one particular group. Hate crimes are committed on the grounds of prejudice against people of different races, faiths/beliefs, sexual orientations, gender identities, ages and disabilities.

Hate crime can have a significant impact on victims' lives. They can isolate and exclude individuals and can cause tension and even conflict in the wider community. Developing a consistent way of reporting and monitoring hate crime improves our overall understanding of the extent and nature of hate crime in our community, and will help us see community tensions developing, reduce crime, and restore victims' confidence.

The Barnet Safer Communities Partnership aims to eradicate all forms of hate, and ensure that Barnet is a safe place for everyone.

Definitions

A hate incident is defined as: Any incident which may or may not constitute a criminal offence that is perceived by the victim, or any other person, as being motivated by prejudice or hate.

A hate crime is defined as: Any incident which constitutes a criminal offence that is perceived by the victim, or any other person, as being motivated by prejudice or hate.
Hate Crime and hate incidents can either target of individuals or groups and communities (for example racist graffiti in a predominantly black and minority ethnic area) because of who they are.

Hate Crime and hate incidents targets people because of elements which go to the core of their identities, mainly:

• Racist Incident:  'any incident which is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person.' (Stephen Lawrence Inquiry report, recommendation 12)
• Homophobic Incident: any incident which is perceived to be homophobic by the victim or any other person.
• Transphobic Incident: any incident which is perceived to be transphobic by the victim or any other person.
• Faith Related Incident: any incident which is perceived to be based upon prejudice towards or hatred of the faith of the victim or so perceived by the victim or any other person.
• Sectarian Incident: any incident which is perceived to be sectarian by the victim or any other person.
• Disability related incident: any incident which is perceived to be based upon prejudice towards or hatred of the victim because of their disability or so perceived by the victim or any other person.
• Immigration and Nationality: there is no statutory definition of hate crime against refugees, asylum seekers and travellers; however we have adapted the Stephen Lawrence definition "any incident which is perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated on the grounds of their immigration status or nationality".

Hate crime can take many forms, including:

• Violence: hitting, punching, pushing, slapping, kicking, beating, assault with weapons, murder.
• Damage to property: offensive graffiti, smashing windows, desecration of graves or places of worship, vandalism to cars, arson attacks.
• Threats: offensive letters, abusive messages, groups hanging around to intimidate.
• Verbal abuse: insults and name calling.
• Malicious communications: obscene telephone calls/texts, distributing offensive leaflets and posters, threatening letters, hate mail, harassment on social networking sites.
• Humiliation and degradation: putting excrement through letterboxes, spitting, name calling, abusive gestures, spreading malicious rumours.
• Harassment: making unfounded, malicious complaints against someone, repeated, low level incidents of verbal abuse, threats or intimidation, dumping rubbish outside homes or through letterboxes, stalking, following the victim, persistent phones calls, emails, post or texts.