When you report hate crime, you become part of the movement to stop it. No matter how small or trivial you think the incident might be, it is important to the whole community that it is acknowledged and reported.
Every report builds up a picture of what is really going on in the local area, showing patterns of behaviour against a certain group or by particular individuals. The more that local agencies know, the better they can educate, inform and protect everyone in the area.
"It's not serious enough to report."
You might not know if the incident is a criminal offence, or you may think it’s not serious enough to be reported, but even if your report doesn’t lead to a prosecution, there are other things that can be done to help you deal with the incident. This might include extra home security or CCTV coverage, advice, and support.
Some hate crimes start as smaller incidents and escalate into more serious and frequent attacks, so every report matters - even if you think it’s not that significant.
When you report, you might even be helping to prevent these incidents from happening to someone else.
"These things happen all the time."
You don’t have to just accept that these things happen, they shouldn’t, and with your report we can help stop it happening again.
Just because you haven't reported similar incidents in the past, doesn't mean you can't choose to make a report now.
"I don't trust the police"
We recognise that many individuals and communities have had negative experiences with the police, and may not wish to engage with them. There are alternatives to reporting directly to the police, including via the SU Advice Centre and Wellbeing Support Services who are independent third party hate crime reporting centres.
"Nothing will happen about it"
Whilst it is not always possible to identify and prosecute the perpetrators, hate crime reports are vital to preventing future hate incidents and hate crime. Every report builds up a picture of what is really going on in the local area, showing patterns of behaviour against a certain group or by particular individuals. The more that local agencies know, the better they can educate, inform and protect everyone in the area.
On a quarterly basis local agencies review hate crime/incident data, and identify any patterns and trends. They then plan, design and deliver area-specific and community-specific actions in response to identified patterns and trends.