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Hate crime

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We want our neighbourhoods to be safe places for everyone. We won’t tolerate behaviour that prevents our customers feeling secure in their home and their neighbourhood.

Hate crime has no place in our communities, and we will support any customers who are a victim of it.

What is hate crime?

A hate crime is any behaviour that someone thinks was caused by hostility, prejudice or hatred of their:

  • disability, including physical impairments, mental health problems, learning disabilities, hearing and visual impairments

  • gender identity (people who identify as a man, woman, non-binary, trans or prefer to self-describe)

  • race, skin colour, nationality, ethnicity or heritage

  • religion, faith or belief, including people without a religious belief

  • sexual orientation (people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or heterosexual).

Anyone can be a victim of hate crime if they are targeted because of who they are, their friends or family or even who the perpetrator thinks they are.

What should you do?

If you have been a victim or witness of hate crime, you should:

  1. Report it to the police – hate crime is a criminal offence. In an emergency please call 999.

  2. You can report hate crime to your local police force either by telephone or by visiting any police station.

  3. In some areas you can also report hate crime online via Stop Hate UK 

  4. If you don’t want to talk to the police or fill in the reporting forms, you can report a hate crime by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or by visiting the Crimestoppers website. You don’t have to give your name and it’s free to call. What you say is confidential but it’s difficult to fully investigate and act on an incident without your details.

  5. After you have reported it to the police, please also report it to us. We want to know, and will work with the Police to take appropriate action if they are able to provide evidence. You can use the form below, or call us to report anything.

What will we do?

When you report a hate crime incident to us, we will:

  1. Ask if you have reported the issue to the Police. It is principally the Police who have the power and duty to investigate and prosecute hate crime.

  2. Open a new case. We will ask you for as much detail as possible to make sure that we fully understand the issue and the impact it’s having on you

  3. Always make sure that your report is treated in the strictest confidence. However, to protect your confidentiality, we may be limited in the action we can take

  4. Agree an action plan. We will always deal with the situation sensitively and explain what action can be taken

  5. We may offer a range of relevant support and advice

  6. Make sure that you are kept updated throughout the case, and explain if we are unable to share specific details

  7. Take reports seriously and take the necessary steps to protect our residents. This can mean working in partnership with other agencies to resolve cases of hate crime.

  8. Make sure that you are kept updated throughout the case, and explain if we are unable to share specific details

  9. Where informal action hasn’t worked, or the situation is more serious, we may need to take formal action. This could include injunctions and, as a last resort, even seeking possession of a home.

Hate crime FAQs