What is a hate crime?

A hate crime is a criminal offence that is motivated by hostility and prejudice towards somebody because of their gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, race, religion, or belief.

Hate crimes can happen in many forms, including:

• Verbal abuse
• Physical assault
• Online abuse
• Sexual assault
• Harassment
• Damage to property
• Bullying or threatening behaviour
• Encouraging or influencing others to commit hate crimes.

If someone experiences any of the above because of who they are or what they believe, it is a hate crime. Anyone can be a victim of hate. Hate crimes can happen anywhere – on campus, in your accommodation, out on the street, online, or at work.

In a statement from West Midlands Police, they said: “We are aware that there has been an increase in incidents of hate crime, and you may be feeling worried at the moment. We want to reassure you that behaviour that crosses the line into criminality will not be tolerated, and we will take the strongest action against perpetrators of hate crime because we know that it has a devastating impact on individual victims and targeted communities.

Everyone has a right to live their life and practice their religion without the fear of targeted abuse for who they are, either physically or verbally, and we will always seek to protect that right. Racial and faith-based discrimination will not be tolerated in any form.”

What are the police doing about hate crime?

Your local policing team are working hard to keep you safe by:

• Increasing patrols across Coventry to provide a visible presence and reassurance to all communities.
• Working with Your Students’ Union to listen to students and continuously assess the impact on student communities to ensure those who study in the city feel safe.
• Increasing the number of officers deployed to key locations to ensure a quick response to any incidents that arise or are reported.

What can you do about hate crime?

Whether you have experienced a hate crime yourself or think you have been a witness to one, both your campus Police Community Support Officers and Your Students’ Union encourage you to speak out. Reporting hate crime not only means the victim gets the support they deserve - it also helps the police get a better idea of how much of a problem hate crime is, allowing them to take steps to prevent further trouble in the future. There are many different ways you can report a hate crime:

• Speak to your campus Police Community Support Officers. You will often find your PCSO’s patrolling Coventry main campus. They are also running an informal drop in event (link to the event) on floor 1 of the Hub, SU Welcome Area, on 5th December between 11am-1pm. Here you can meet them, grab a free tea or coffee, and have a relaxed and informal conversation about anything safety or community related that is concerning you. there will also be a confidential space for you to talk to them if needed.
• Contact your local police team by calling 111 or using text phone service 18001 101 if you are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired. You can also walk into your local police station. 3. Start a webchat at www.west-midlands.police.uk or report online at www.report-it.org.uk.
• If you don’t feel comfortable approaching the police, you can report through a third-party reporting centre where you can speak to trained professionals who aren’t police. Find your local community reporting centre via third-party reporting finder tool on the West Midlands Police website.

Always remember: if you are in immediate danger or seeing a crime in progress, always call 999 for an instant response from emergency services.

Don’t hesitate, always report hate. You can meet your local PCSOs on site at the next Cuppa with a Copper event on 5 December.