Hate crimes and incidents
Hate crimes / hate incidents can take place anywhere - at home, in the streets, at work, online or at school. No-one should have to live with the fear, anxiety and consequences of hate, and reporting it will help the police and other agencies deal distress it has caused and may prevent these incidents from happening again. It will also help the police and other agencies understand the extent of hate crimes / incidents in your local area, so they can put effective plans in place to respond to it.
A Hate Crime - is defined as 'Any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person's:
- Disability
- Race or ethnicity
- Religion or belief
- Sexual orientation
- Gender identity
It will often comprise of physical assaults, verbal abuse, incitement to hatred and criminal damage.
A Hate incident - is any incident which the victim, or anyone else, thinks is based on someone's prejudice towards them because of a person's:
- Disability
- Race or ethnicity
- Religion or belief
- Sexual orientation
- Gender identity
Evidence of the hate element is not a requirement. You do not need to personally perceive the incident to be hate related. It would be enough if another person, a witness or even a police officer thought that the incident was driven by prejudice on one of the grounds listed above.
Please report hate crime/incidents if you are the victim, you have witnessed an incident, or if you know of another person who has been a victim of hate. We work with the organisations who have the power and influence to stamp out hate crimes and support victims. By reporting hate crimes, whether as a witness or a victim, you're helping to make Eastbourne and Lewes a safer, better place to live.
Not all hate incidents will amount to criminal offences, however all will be investigated and it is equally important that both hate crimes and incidents are reported to Sussex Police.
If you prefer not to contact Sussex Police online, you can visit a police stations or call 101 - the Police national, non-emergency telephone number which is staffed at all times. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, use our textphone service on 18001 101.
In an emergency, you should always contact the relevant emergency service (police, fire or ambulance) on 999.
The True Vision website is a service that has been developed so that you can report hate crimes online and so do not have to phone or visit a police station to make the report. Reports made via True Vision will be directed to the police.
The police take hate crime very seriously and will record and investigate this offence even if you do not want to give your details. The True Vision website explains different types of Hate Crime, and how to report it and get support.
True Vision understands that it is sometimes difficult to go to the police about hate crime. If you are a victim of hate crime or know someone who is, there are a wide range of support agencies in place that offer support and guidance.
If you want to report the hate crime / incident via the Council, you can do that below. In order to provide the best response possible Eastbourne and Lewes Councils will ask if we can share the information you give with the police and other relevant agencies. You do not have to agree to this, but not doing so may mean we are only able to record, and not act upon, the information you provide.
This can be done through the British Transport Police website.
A range of advice, support and information about dealing with hate crimes / incidents is provided by the organisations listed below:
- Sussex Hate Incident Support Service - a Sussex wide service which can help immediately after an incident or any time after the crime has taken place. They will listen to you in confidence and offer information, practical help and emotional support.
- Crimestoppers - a national charity with a free helpline for reporting crime anonymously.
- Tell MAMA - a national project supporting victims of anti-Muslim hate and monitoring anti-Muslim incidents.
- Community Security Trust (CST) - a charity protecting British Jews from anti-Semitism and related threats.
- Galop - a national charity providing advice and support to members of the LGBT community.
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